In or Out
by TDBigJ1213
Summary: Serena moves back to Pallet and starts going to Pallet High. On her first day she meets and falls for a boy named Ash Ketchum. But another girl, Miette, also likes him. When prom comes around, will Ash choose Miette because she is pretty, or Serena because she has a kind and caring personality? Inside or outside? Amourshipping. Ash x Serena. AASL.
1. Same Town, New Beginnings

**TDBigJ's message:** Hello everybody! What is up? I am TDBigJ1213. Most of you may not know me, mainly because I've never written a Pokemon story before. That's right! This is my first Pokemon story. I only have two other stories, but I'm not really typing a lot on those two stories right now. I do plan on writing for the Pokemon fandom from this point on, so this won't be my only attempt just so you know. This story will focus on Amourshipping. Yes, I am a big fan of this pairing. You know what it is. So this will be my first Pokemon story as well as amourshipping story. Anyway, on we go!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

It was a calm and early morning in Pallet Town. Nothing but the bright, sunny sky and the chirping of Pidgeys throughout the air. One specific bird, a Fletchling, stood on the windowsill of a certain honey blonde girl. It was given orders by it's owner to wake up the girl who was sleeping soundly in her bed. The Fletchling did what it was told and woke up the girl by continuously pecking her on the head. She woke up with a jolt and rubbed her eyes, very irritated.

"Darn it, Fletchling! Do you always have to wake me up like that? You know I don't like waking up that way." Serena complained.

"Fletchling!" The red bird Pokemon chirped apologetically. Serena did like that bird that her mother caught over in Kalos, but it's wake up methods were repeatedly annoying. Suddenly Serena's mom Grace opened the door and stood in the doorway.

"Rise and shine! You've got a big day ahead of you." Grace said. Serena rolled her eyes

"Yeah, like going to school really brightens my day." Serena said sarcastically.

"Oh come on. I thought you would be happy. We moved back here for a reason. This is what you wanted, right?" Grace asked, trying to cheer up her daughter. This only worked slightly.

"I appreciate that you listened to me and moved back here to Pallet, but is going to school within the first week back really necessary?" Serena asked, getting up out of her bed.

"I feel like it is so. Besides, you might meet some new people to hang out with. And maybe, just maybe, you might find a sweet boy to start dating." Grace stated. Serena's cheeks blushed a bright pink.

"Mom, why do you have to insist that I have a boyfriend? I would like one too, but I doubt I will find one on my first day, let alone my first week." Serena explained.

"You will find one eventually. But get ready. School starts in less than an hour." Grace said and starting leaving the room.

"Yeah, whatever." Serena said under her breath as she went into the bathroom to take a shower.

After about ten minutes, Serena emerged from the shower and put on her usual clothes. She put the red vest over her pink shirt and then went to brush her short honey blonde hair and then put on her red fedora. She went to her mirror to look at herself. After accepting the way she looked, she left her bedroom and went downstairs to eat breakfast. Her mom had already made it when she got to the table and then she sat down and started eating. She wasn't a fast eater, so it took her some time to finish it. After she was done, she took her plate and put it in the sink. Grace spoke up, alerting her of the time.

"Honey, school starts in thirty minutes. You better get moving." Grace said, giving Serena a heads up. Serena looked at the clock and immediately sped up to her room.

She went into her room and grabbed her binder and closed the door behind her. She quickly walked down the stairs and walked towards the front door. Her mom suddenly stopped her before she could open the door.

"Have a good first day! I love you!" Grace said from the kitchen.

"I love you too!" Serena said back and then turned the knob and exited the house and walked towards the school.

The school wasn't far from Serena's house. It was a good fifteen minutes away by walking. She approached the front doors of the school and stood in front of it for a minute.

"Well, here we go." Serena said and then pulled the door open and walked inside. Luckily she wasn't late, due to the fact that there were still many students roaming the halls. It was her first day here, so she wasn't familiar with anybody. But maybe she might make a friend or two before the day was out.

She went to the front office and received her class schedule. She looked at it for a couple of minutes just so she had a good idea of what was ahead of her. The classes were in different buildings. Since it was her first day, she didn't know what buildings were where. She took another good look at her schedule. But since she was looking down at her schedule, she was totally unaware of the passing students. Because of that, she accidentally bumped into someone. The person, a girl, turned to her with a scowl.

"Watch where you're going!" The girl snapped. She looked at Serena and took notice that she has never seen her before. "Are you new here?"

"Yes." Serena answered.

"Well, focus on where you're walking, newbie. I don't want to bump into you again." The girl growled again and then returned to walking.

"Hm, what was that for?" Serena asked. She returned to walking as well. But a few seconds later, she bumped into another person, this time a boy.

"Hey, watch it!" The boy snapped.

"I'm sorry! By the way, do you know where the C building is?" Serena asked.

"Why? First day?" The boy asked. Serena nodded her head. "Then go ask someone else. I'm in no mood to help you." He then went back to going his own way. Serena then returned to heading towards her first class. She bumped into a few more people along the way, each person scolding her for doing so. She asked for help from each of these students, but each refused to help her. She sighed. This was going to be a long first day. She then bumped into another person, a boy. She turned around to face him.

"Sorry about that! I should have watched where I was going." Serena apologized to the boy. She was expecting a rude answer, but she didn't get one as the boy raised his hands.

"Hey, don't blame yourself. That was my fault. It was me that should have watched where I was going." The boy stated. Serena looked at him, he wore a red and white cap and a blue and white short sleeved jacket. Seriously needing to find where her first class was, she asked him.

"Hey, it's my first day here. Could you show me where the C building is?" She asked. He took a look at her schedule to see which building that class was in. His eyes widened and a smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, you have the same first period I do. I'll walk you there." He responded. "Come with me." He started walking with Serena walking right by him. The boy, seeing as he hasn't introduced himself to her yet, held out his hand.

"My name is Ash Ketchum, and welcome to Pallet High." He greeted her. She grasped his hand and shook it.

"I'm Serena, and thank you. I've been asking people where these classes are but each of them didn't want to help." Serena stated. Ash rolled his eyes.

"Some people here are pretty arrogant, so just ignore them, it's what I do." Ash suggested.

"I'll take note of that." Serena said.

"Hey, let me see your schedule. I could tell you where the buildings are located." Ash said and gladly handed her schedule to Ash so he could help her out. He took a good thirty seconds to examine it before he started to explain where each of her classes took place. He explained where each of the buildings were at and how the floors and classrooms were marked. He handed her schedule back to her after describing everything in full detail.

"Okay, thanks. That helps a lot." Serena thanked Ash for his help.

They continued walking towards their first class, which was in a building known as the C building. Ash pointed out where each of the buildings were at, making sure Serena wouldn't get lost. They entered the C building and walked towards the classroom where their first class was held. It was in the entry level so they just walked straight ahead. Ash found the classroom and they walked in together.

"This is where it is at. Go up to the teacher's desk and find your seat. He'll gladly help you out." Ash stated.

"Okay. Thanks a lot Ash. I really appreciate your help." Serena thanked the raven haired trainer. She went up the teacher's desk, and the teacher, by the name of Mr. Hargroves, introduced himself and told Serena where she was going to sit. Her seat was behind a blue haired girl named Dawn. She went to her seat and sat down. Dawn looked behind her and introduced herself to Serena.

"Hi, I'm Dawn. Welcome to Pallet High." Dawn greeted holding out her hand and Serena shook it.

"Hi, I'm Serena. How did you know I was new here?" Serena asked, a little confused to why Dawn knew about this being her first day.

"Well, for one I saw you coming in with Ash and I've never seen you before, and two, Ash told me." Dawn explained.

"So you know Ash?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. He's one of my best friends. You'll like him. He's always helping people out and he's a really nice guy." Dawn answered.

"Yeah he is really nice." Serena said. "And kind of cute too." She thought.

First period went by rather quickly, since it was only fifty minutes. Serena looked at her class schedule once again and checked where her next class would be. Her next class would be an elective: Pokemon attack strategies, so she was quite excited for that. She arrived there a little slow but just in time. This was her first day you know.

She went up to the teacher, by the name of Mr. MacIntosh and informed him of this being her first day. He gladly helped her and showed her where she would be sitting. She went and sat down in her seat, waiting for a few other students to show up. She stared off into space for a brief moment before a voice snapped her out of her trance.

"Well, well, well. It's good to see you again." The voice alerted her. Serena turned her head to the right and saw none other than Ash sitting right next to her.

"Ash? What's this? I had no idea you had this class too." Serena said smiling.

"You kidding? This is perhaps my favorite class. Teaches you new things about Pokemon battling. It's very informative." Ash explained.

"Oh, so you are a Pokemon battler? That's very cool!" Serena exclaimed.

"Yeah, and the cool thing is, they have a Pokemon battling class here. The staff even lets students battle during lunch." Ash stated.

"Really?" Serena said with an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, but there are certain rules though: You can't battle indoors during lunch. It has to be in a wide open space outside." Ash explained.

"Oh, well that makes sense." Serena said.

"Looks like class is about to start." Ash stated seeing Mr. MacIntosh get up from his desk and walk towards the front of the room.

"Well you should probably go sit in your seat." Serena stated.

"I already am. I sit right next to you fortunately." Ash said. Serena chuckled.

"Oh, that's great." Serena said with a hint of excitement in her voice.

It was almost the end of the period and Serena was having a little difficulty with the questionnaire she was working on. Mr. MacIntosh noticed and spoke up.

"You doing okay, Serena?" Mr. MacIntosh asked.

"I'm fine. This is just a little hard to understand is all." Serena answered.

"Don't worry, I understand that it is your first day and I don't expect you to fully understand the whole subject right off the bat. Would you like someone to help you?" Mr. MacIntosh asked.

"Yeah, sure, that would be great." Serena replied.

"Would anyone like to give Serena a hand with her work?" Mr. MacIntosh asked out loud to the whole class. Five seconds passed and no one answered. "Nobody?"

"I will help her out." Ash responded getting an affirmative nod from Mr. MacIntosh.

"Thank you Ash. I appreciate it, and I'm pretty sure Serena will appreciate it as well." Mr. MacIntosh stated. The bell suddenly rang signaling the end of the period. Serena left the classroom and headed off to her next class.

Another two periods went by and then it was time for lunch. Serena went and got her lunch and then looked for a place to sit. She couldn't find an open spot until a voice called out to her.

"Hey, come sit over here." A voice shouted. Serena looked over and saw that it was Dawn, the girl that she met in first period. Serena put on a small smile and walked over to sit next to Dawn. Dawn wasn't by herself, there was a boy with spiky brown hair and two girls, one with long brown hair and a red jacket and one with black hair and a pink t-shirt. She sat down next to Dawn and Dawn spoke up.

"I remember you from first period. How have the last few periods gone out for you?" Dawn asked.

"They went pretty well." Serena replied.

"Well, that's good. By the way these are my friends." Dawn said, motioning her hand to the other three people that were sitting with her.

"I'm May, it's good to meet you." The brunette with a red jacket said.

"I'm Shauna, good to meet you as well." The black haired girl said.

"And I'm Brock, it's great to meet you too." The brown haired boy said.

"It's really nice to see you all too. My name is Serena, and I'm new here." Serena introduced herself.

"So why did you move here?" May asked.

"I originally lived here before but my mom and I moved to the Kalos region many years ago. My mom was a famous Rhyhorn racer but since she doesn't really do that anymore, we decided to move back here." Serena explained.

"Oh that's cool. So how are you liking your first day?" Brock asked.

"It hasn't been too bad. It didn't start off well but I did make a new friend shortly after arriving." Serena answered.

"That's great! What's their name?" Shauna asked.

"His name is Ash Ketchum." Serena answered.

"Oh I know Ash. He and I are great friends. We're almost like brothers." Brock stated with happiness in his voice.

"Ash seems really kind. He helped me find out where all my classes are when no one else would, and was the only one to volunteer to help me in the Pokemon attack strategies class." Serena explained.

"You'll get along really well with Ash. He's perhaps one of the easiest people if not the easiest person to be friends with in this school. He can't say no to helping someone." May said.

"That is very genuine of him to do that. I just want to know why no one but him is willing to give me a hand." Serena wondered.

"A lot of the students at this school are pretty rude, but once you've been here a while, you'll get used to it." Shauna explained.

"Yeah, you're lucky you got us and Ash. We would give you a hand with no second thought." Dawn stated.

"I appreciate that you guys, thanks." Serena said.

So the five of them continued on their conversation for the rest of the lunch period. It was time for fifth period so they all parted ways since each of them had a different class. Serena was walking towards her next class. But all of a sudden she was approached by a random girl.

"Hey you, I saw you walking around with Ash earlier." She said.

"Yes, and you are?" Serena asked.

"I'm Miette, and I heard you are new here." The girl said.

"That's correct." Serena replied.

"Well since that is the case I will let you off with a warning: Don't you even think about getting to close to Ash." Miette growled.

"How come? Are you his girlfriend?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, but I don't need someone like you ruining chances of that happening." Miette ordered.

"I'm sorry you feel that way." Serena stated.

"Just take what I said and we won't have a problem." Miette said, calming down a bit.

"Okay." Serena said a little confused.

"Good. Bye!" Miette said in a sweet tone and skipped away. Serena was a little perplexed. She wondered why a girl that wasn't even dating Ash would be defensive about him. She shook it off and walked towards her next class.

About an hour and fifty minutes later, the final bell rang, signaling that school was over. Most students barged out of their classrooms ready to go home, others just calmly walked out. Since this was her first day, Serena didn't really have any homework to do, so she walked out the school's front doors and started walking home.

Ten minutes later and Serena's walk home was a silent one. No wild Pokemon or random people appeared to scare the living hell out of her. She wasn't really bothered by this though, since it was silent the walk was very peaceful. Seeing as it is, she held her binder close to her chest and started humming a tune. But every good thing must come to an end eventually as after a few seconds of humming a wild Beedrill popped out of the bushes, startling her. The Beedrill had it's sights set on her, and Serena let out a loud but brief scream. The Beedrill inched closer to the defenseless Serena. Serena backed away slowly, letting out a few silent but scared whimpers. The Beedrill, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to strike, instantly flew at a fast pace that would make a Ponyta look as slow as, well, a Slowpoke. Serena, knelt down on the ground, closing her eyes and letting out a few tears, braced for the impact, fearing the worst until…

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" A voice shouted, and a blast of thunder erupted out of nowhere, shocking the unaware Beedrill to a burnt crisp. The Beedrill, since it didn't know the attack was coming and took a huge hit, fell to the ground, fainted. The Pikachu stood in front of the fainted Beedrill, still in a battle stance. Serena was surprised that she was saved, but who helped her? She didn't have the smallest clue, but her question would be answered when she saw the figure come out of the bushes. It was Ash. Her jaw slightly dropped. She was speechless. It was Ash who came to her rescue? What are the odds? Ash walked up to her and held out his left hand.

"Need a hand?" Ash asked with a smile on his face. Serena was still short of words, but she grabbed Ash's hand and he lifted her up, but when he did, she realized that Ash had his arms around her, and she had her hands around his shoulders. Ash leaned back and looked at her for a few seconds.

"You all right, Serena?" Ash asked, trying to see if she was hurt in any way.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Serena responded, confirming she wasn't harmed.

"Good. I'd hate to see you injured, especially since I just met you." Ash stated, giggling a little bit.

"I'm fine. Thank you so much!" Serena said, grateful for Ash's heroics. She looked at him and after a few moments, she pulled him into a tight hug, letting out a few tears.

"Thank you, thank you! You have no idea how scared I was." Serena said, still whimpering from the whole incident.

"I know, and don't worry, you can count on me if you need any help." Ash stated. Serena looked at the Pikachu that was now perched on top of Ash's shoulder.

"Hey Ash, who is this with you?" Serena asked, pointing at Pikachu.

"Oh, this is my partner Pikachu. He and I are best friends." Ash replied.

"He's really cute. But how come I didn't see him with you today?" Serena asked.

"It's because the school doesn't allow you to carry around Pokemon while class is in session. The only time they let you is during lunch or if you're in the Pokemon battling class. When they aren't with you, luckily the school has about three rooms where you can keep your Pokemon until you are allowed to have them out." Ash explained.

"That's something I could know. I have a Fennekin that I got back in Kalos but I didn't bring her today because I didn't think the school would allow it." Serena said.

"Well, now you know. You can bring Fennekin tomorrow but remember to put her in one of the three rooms before you go to class." Ash stated.

"Thanks for telling me Ash. I will make sure to do that." Serena said.

"So are you sure you are okay?" Ash asked, double checking Serena's status.

"Yeah I am, thanks to you, and you too Pikachu." Serena said and cuffed Pikachu's cheek and gave it a light kiss.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu cooed while a light red blush appeared on it's face.

"Come on, I'll walk you the rest of the way home." He grabbed her hand and started walking towards Serena's house. Serena was a little startled that he was holding hands with her and blushed a heavy pink, but she wasn't complaining about it, and took it with excitement.

Ten minutes later they arrived at her house, Ash then noticed something.

"Hey, you only live a few houses down from me." Ash stated.

"Really?" Serena said.

"Yeah, I live right there." Ash said, pointing at a house that was three houses away from where they were standing. Serena's eyes widened in surprise.

"Oh wow!" Serena exclaimed.

"Well I guess this is where we say goodbye." Ash said.

"Yeah." Serena said and Ash started walking towards his house. He stopped after about five steps and then walked back towards Serena.

"Oh, and I just wanted to tell you that if you need any help with your schoolwork or if you just want to hang out, come over and ask me. I'm more than willing. I'm not that far away as you can see." Ash said and the two shared a laugh.

"Okay, thanks Ash. I will take that into consideration. Goodbye!" Serena said.

"Goodbye! Have a good day!" Ash said and waved goodbye and started walking towards his house again. A thought popped into Serena's mind.

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I did find a sweet boy on my first day." Serena thought to herself and opened the front door and walked in her house.

 **Author's Note:** Well, how about that first chapter? I thought it went pretty well, but I'll leave that for you guys to decide. Since this is my first Pokemon story I am new to writing stories for it, so it might not be my best work, but I will do my absolute best to entertain all of you. And a little note, Serena will have her new look in this story, i.e. shorter hair, red hat, etc. If you didn't know that yet. But the only thing that won't be a part of her outfit is the ribbon Ash gave her. At least she won't have it yet. Anyway, here is a preview of the next chapter.

"Okay, here is how it works out: fire types have a weakness to water types but have an advantage over ice types." Ash explained. Serena looked at her manual to check if he was right. It appeared that he was.

"Now I understand that. But why is that?" Serena asked.

"It is because water can put out a fire but fire can melt ice. Put it that way." Ash explained in further detail.

"Okay, now I get it." Serena responded and marked it down on her paper. "Wow Ash, you know a lot about this."

"I am very fond of Pokemon. I seek to become a Pokemon master someday so I like studying this kind of subject." Ash stated.

"Thanks for coming over to help me Ash." Serena thanked.

"Oh, no problem. Glad to help!" Ash said.

"I really need help with this. I'm still new to Pokemon and I don't really participate in that many battles." Serena explained.

"Well, you're lucky to have me to help you." Ash stated and the two laughed. They stopped laughing after a second.

"Yeah, I'm very lucky." Serena thought to herself. Many thoughts came into her mind, but there was one that stood out, and she didn't know what to do.

"Now would be as good a time as any. He's right there. I should do it. But I shouldn't. I don't want to freak him out. But what other chance will I get?" Serena continuously thought. She pondered this for a minute and then made her decision.

 **TDBigJ's message:** Hm, Serena seems to be up to something. Will she do it? Wait and you'll find out in the nextchapter. I'll see you then. Leave a review. It's not required but you can still do it so I know what your thoughts are. Just to let you know I will be putting a preview of the next chapter at the end of each chapter so you can get a glimpse of what will happen. May be big, may be small, you never know. And if a Slowpoke isn't really slow, I'm sorry. There are some things about Pokemon I'm still trying to learn again since I got back into it a few months ago. Oh, and by the way, IT'S MY BIRTHDAY ON SUNDAY. And one more thing, I will try to update every Friday. So with that being said, see you in the next installment.

 **TDBigJ out!**


	2. Getting Closer

**TDBigJ's message:** Hello again! I just want a moment to say that I'm grateful for how this story has started. The reception surprised me. It's hard to believe that within the first week of this story being out that it already has 5 reviews, is on the favorites list of 5 people, has 10 followers, and in just the first 3 hours after being posted, got in a community. Thank you all for giving me a good start. That itself just gives me inspiration to work a lot more on the upcoming chapters. This is the best start I've had for any of my stories. So once again thank you! I'd like to leave responses to reviews so before I start a chapter, I will do so. If you want to skip the review responses, go on ahead. I know you want to get to the story. Anyway, on with the reviews.

 **Espeon44:** Thanks for saying the first chapter was great, I appreciate it. Of course an OC can date Dawn. Did you want me to make one, or did you want an OC of your own in there? If you want your own, just PM me and I'll put it in. Thanks for the review and the birthday wishes.

 **Jolly Parton:** Glad you liked the first chapter! It's awesome that you're a big amourshipper as well and that you're looking forward to reading this. Thanks for the review and the birthday wishes.

 **Guest #1:** Thanks for taking your time to read the first chapter. I see that you want Ash to choose Serena and for them to have their first kiss. Well, time will tell if either of those happen, but this is an amourshipping story so you probably will know what will happen. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #2:** Thanks for taking your time to read the first chapter. And thanks a lot for appreciating me as an amourshipper. I am an amourshipper and proud for sure! I liked that part of your review. Thanks for reviewing!

 **Satoshi and Touko:** Thanks for saying that this high school amourshipping story is better than most. That probably isn't true yet, but I'm grateful for you saying that. But with the rest of your review, I would actually have to agree with you on that. Serena having a love rival seems a bit too cliché and I do think it is overused, and the fact that this fandom needs something new, something fresh. I will try to keep Serena's and Miette's rivalry for Ash as canonical as it is to the anime. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

In the texting conversations, May's messages will be in **bold,** Serena's will be in _italics_ , and Ash's will be **bold underlined**.

Serena was in her room watching tv. School was over for the day. But luckily tomorrow was Friday so only one more day until the week would be over as well. There wasn't really much on, so she had it at a show that she didn't really care for. She wasn't actually watching tv, she just had it on so that it wasn't completely silent in her room. She was just texting her friends on her phone. She made some friends back on her first day, which was about a month ago. Not a lot of friends though. The only friends she had were Ash, May, Dawn, Shauna, Brock, and a new friend she made recently, Clemont. Clemont seemed like a cool guy to her, as he wasn't rude like some boys at the school. He wanted to be the world's greatest inventor someday. Serena actually respected that dream of his, but his inventions would always blow up somehow, but luckily, they never blew up during class, only at lunch.

Since she made friends with those people, each one of them would help her out with her schoolwork after school, especially Ash. He was the one that was mostly over helping her mainly because he was the only one who offered it. He was over once, maybe twice a week to help her. They never really hung out when it didn't come to schoolwork. Serena wondered that. A text then appeared on her phone, it was from May.

" **Hey, how was school for you today?"** It read. Serena then typed in a message.

" _Fine, the usual. What about you?"_

" **Same. What are you doing right now?"**

" _Nothing really. I'm watching tv but there's nothing on."_

" **Oh I see. You catching up on your schoolwork?"**

" _Kind of. I'm still trying to learn everything, but luckily Ash comes over every so often and helps me so it's getting a bit easier."_

" **Ash is being a big help isn't he?"**

" _Yeah he is. He is a great guy! And he's really sweet!"_

" **You have a thing for him, don't you?"** Serena blushed a deep red when she read that.

" _No! He's just a great friend is all!"_ Serena typed back. She was lying a little bit though, she kind of had a thing for Ash.

" **Come on you can tell me. I won't blurt it out to anyone."**

" _I don't have a thing for him. He's only a friend."_

" **Best friend maybe?"**

" _Well, yeah, I would consider him that. But that would be it, just best friends and that's it!"_

" **Okay, whatever you say. But don't get mad at me if it does become something more."**

" _I'm starting to feel a little uncomfortable."_

" **Okay, I'll stop. I'll see you tomorrow."**

" _All right, see you then."_

After that texting conversation, Serena kicked off her boots and fell back on her bed, arms outstretched. She didn't know why May would bring something like that up. Serena told May that her and Ash were just best friends, denying that she had a crush on Ash. But she did admit she did. Ever since that first day about a month ago, she harbored feelings towards him. She spent more time with him than anybody else, but she didn't want May or anyone else to know that, or that might start some gossip, and she didn't want that. She would become the center of attention if it became a reality, and Serena hated being the center of attention, it's always made her feel uncomfortable due to the fact that she would be asked millions of questions, it would just be too much pressure. While she did like Ash that way, she would find a good time to tell him, but she didn't know when yet. That would be a decision made for another day. After some long thinking, she closed her eyes and drifted off into a nap.

Friday came and many students were looking forward to getting this day over with so the weekend would come. It was a minute before the final bell rang and every student were either conversing among each other or doing their own thing. For some the minute was taking too long, jiggling around in their seats, while others were just calm and sitting there with patience. After the sixty seconds that seemed to be an eternity, the bell rang and school was out for the week and in typical fashion, many students burst out of their classrooms ready to go home and decide their weekend plans.

Serena was once again walking home alone. Most of the time this happened, but it didn't bother her. She didn't care whether she was walking alone or with company, either she would be fine with. After fifteen minutes of walking in solitude Serena reached her front door and walked in. Grace hollered something from the other room.

"Hey honey, how was school?" Grace asked.

"Same old, same old, mom." Serena answered.

"Got any homework?" Grace asked.

"A little. They actually gave me homework for the weekend." Serena responded.

"Okay, just wanted to make sure." Grace said. Serena walked up to her room and plopped down on her bed.

"Thank Arceus it's the weekend!" Serena whispered. She kept her face in her pillow for a few moments before facing up. She grabbed her binder and opened it to start working on her homework.

After about twenty minutes Serena was still trying to understand what her work was about. It was for the Pokemon attack strategies class. It was about type advantages and disadvantages.

"Man, I still don't understand this." Serena groaned. Her phone suddenly vibrated. She looked at it and it was a text from Ash.

" **Hey, what are you doing right now?"**

" _Homework. Yeah they actually gave me some for the weekend."_

" **That sucks. How is it going?"**

" _Not good. I'm still having difficulty understanding it."_

" **You want me to come over and help you?"**

" _Oh, yeah sure, that would be great!"_

" **Okay, I'll grab my stuff and come on over."**

After about three minutes, Ash came to the door and rang the doorbell. Grace answered it and saw him standing there.

"Oh hello Ash. What brings you here?" Grace asked with a smile.

"Serena needed a little help with her homework and I offered to help her with it." Ash replied.

"Okay, come on in. She's up in her room." Grace said. Ash then headed up to Serena's room. Grace then had a thought.

"I'm starting to think she has a little crush on him." She thought.

Ash knocked on Serena's door, she immediately got up and opened it.

"Hey Ash, come on in." Serena said and Ash entered her room.

"Where can I sit?" Ash asked.

"On the bed if you want." Serena answered then Ash sat down on her bed. She came over and sat down as well.

"So what is it that you needed help with?" Ash asked while taking his binder out of his backpack and opening it, taking out a manual that was based on the class. Serena saw the manual he had and immediately went into her binder to take out hers.

"It's just the type advantages and disadvantages I'm having problems with." Serena answered.

"Oh I know a lot about this subject. I can easily help you out with this." Ash stated. He looked at the first question and read it.

"Which has an advantage over the other? Grass or electric?" Ash read the question out loud.

For the next half hour they were going over the various questions of types and their strengths and weaknesses, with Ash going into a good amount of detail to help Serena out with each one and confirming if she was right when she guessed. All the questions were the same, just asking what type had an advantage over the other. Serena did admit that she was having better understanding with each piece of dialogue that Ash told her. Ash was a great study partner, it's almost like he should be the teacher. She giggled at that thought. There was one final question: What has an advantage over the other? Fire or ice? Serena could easily guess that one, but she asked Ash to explain just to be sure what to answer.

"Okay, here is how it works out: fire types have a weakness to water types but have an advantage over ice types." Ash explained. Serena looked at her manual to check if he was right. It appeared that he was.

"Now I understand that. But why is that?" Serena asked.

"It is because water can put out a fire but fire can melt ice. Put it that way." Ash explained in further detail.

"Okay, now I get it." Serena responded and marked it down on her paper. "Wow Ash, you know a lot about this."

"I am very fond of Pokemon. I seek to become a Pokemon master someday so I like studying this kind of subject." Ash stated.

"Thanks for coming over to help me Ash." Serena thanked.

"Oh, no problem. Glad to help!" Ash said.

"I really need help with this. I'm still new to Pokemon and I don't really participate in that many battles." Serena explained.

"Well, you're lucky to have me to help you." Ash stated and the two laughed. They stopped laughing after a second.

"Yeah, I'm very lucky." Serena thought to herself. Many thoughts came into her mind, but there was one that stood out, and she didn't know what to do.

"Now would be as good a time as any. He's right there. I should do it. But I shouldn't. I don't want to freak him out. But what other chance will I get?" Serena continuously thought. She pondered this for a minute and then made her decision.

"Serena, you all right?" Ash asked, looking straight at her. Serena nodded her head.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Serena responded. She eventually decided not to ask him, as she thought that it would be too difficult for him to answer. Besides, she's only known him for a month. She didn't want to rush into it.

"Well, that's the last question. Need help with anything else?" Ash asked, curious to see if there was another thing she needed assistance with.

"No, that should be it." Serena answered while placing the manual back in her binder then closing it.

"I should get going. My mom probably wants to know when I'll be back. She wants me back in time for dinner." Ash explained and then picked up his backpack and started walking out. Serena cursed to herself for not asking him the question, but her frustrations were soon put to a halt when he stopped in the doorway and turned around.

"Hey Serena?" Ash asked.

"Yes Ash?" Serena responded.

"Would you perhaps, like to hang out with me this weekend?" Ash asked. Serena froze in place for a second.

"Hang out?" Serena asked, not knowing how to answer.

"Yeah, I've got nothing planned and if you don't either I was thinking if it was okay with your mom that we could get to know each other better." Ash explained. Serena was taken aback by this, he actually wanted to hang out with her. She didn't see this coming but she then decided to answer.

"Sure, I'd love to." Serena replied.

"Okay, see you tomorrow then." Ash said and waved his hand goodbye. Serena did the same in return. After she heard the front door close she leaned back on her wall, sighing in happiness.

Ash a few minutes later walked into his house. His mom, Delia, saw him come in.

"Hey honey, how did studying with Serena go?" Delia asked.

"Great! We got our work done and I think she is starting to have a better understanding of her work." Ash stated. Delia smiled at her son.

"I really like how you're helping her out so much. It's good to see that she just recently moved here and you're the person taking initiative to give her a hand." Delia explained.

"She is a really great friend. Oh, and can she come over and hang out this weekend?" Ash asked. Delia nodded.

"Of course she can. She's more than welcome." Delia said, confirming Ash's request.

"All right, thanks mom. I'm going to watch tv up in my room now." Ash said and started going up to his room. Delia started thinking.

"I'm starting to think he really likes this girl." Delia thought and went into the living room.

The next day, Serena came over. It was okay with her mom and also with Ash's mom. Ash decided that they should go to the forest nearby and explore inside. After walking to the forest, Ash started to run. Serena was suddenly startled by this.

"Hey, where are you going? Wait up!" Serena said as she started running as well.

"Run faster if you want to catch me." Ash said, sprinting faster.

"Easy for you to say, you're wearing sneakers, it's not so easy to run in these boots you know." Serena shouted from ten yards behind him.

"Well I have the advantage then." Ash said increasing his speed once again.

"Oh come on, that's not fair." Serena said. She heard Ash chuckle. "Oh ha ha, that's really funny." She said while letting out a few chuckles herself.

"They ran for another two minutes until they both ran out of breath. They decided to lean up against a tree that was only a few feet away, trying to get some oxygen back.

"Hey, you actually kept up with me. Those boots of yours don't really give you that much of a disadvantage." Ash stated.

"Yeah they do. My feet hurt." Serena said.

"Don't worry, I'll remember to run faster next time." Ash said laughing. Serena smiled and playfully hit him in the shoulder. Ash grabbed his shoulder after Serena hit it. "Okay maybe not." Serena then let out a few giggles.

After catching their breath, they decided to walk together through the narrow pathway, discussing about school and what they usually do when out of school. Suddenly, something fell out of a tree and hit Ash in the head.

"Ow, what was that?" Ash exclaimed. He looked at the ground next to his feet and saw an apple sitting there. "Oh it was just an apple." He picked it up and wiped the dirt off of it.

"You want it?" Ash asked, offering the apple to Serena.

"Sure, thanks!" Serena said taking the apple from Ash's hand and taking a bite. Another apple fell out of the tree above Serena, but with quick reflexes she caught it in her free hand and offered the apple to Ash. Ash took it and thanked her before taking a bite.

After about forty minutes and eating a few apples the two decided to head back to Ash's house. They spent the rest of the day in Ash's room just watching a little tv. Ash, being the gentleman he is, let Serena watch whatever she wanted to watch and agreed to it. It then hit late in the day and Serena decided that is was time to go home. Ash and her approached Ash's front door.

"I had a fun time today." Serena said.

"Yeah, I did too. It was great hanging out with you." Ash replied. "We should probably do this every Saturday."

"Yeah, that would be great!" Serena said. "Well, I guess I got to go. I'll see you on Monday at school."

"See you then." Ash said and Serena opened the door and waved goodbye and Ash waved back then closed the door and went up to his room. Serena stayed there at the front door, reflecting back on the great day she had with Ash. She then thought when she would ask Ash. She wanted to do it at the perfect time, but didn't know when. She started walking home, still reminiscing about the great day she just had.

 **Author's note:** That was a great time they spent with each other wasn't it? It seems that Serena is getting a lot closer to Ash. I liked the scene of them in the forest, I thought that went really well. What do you guys think? Well, leave your thoughts and I'll leave a preview of the next chapter.

Since it was the end of the school day and Serena decided to stop by her locker first before heading home. She needed put some stuff away that she didn't need overnight. She closed her locker and started heading out. That is until a hand grabbed her shoulder making her stop. She turned around and saw that it was Miette.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Miette asked. Serena noticed that she was a little calmer than the other times she's seen her in the last month.

"Um, fine, what about you?" Serena asked nervously. She was a little uneasy being around Miette.

"Just the same. Anyway, I heard prom is next month. Plan on taking anyone?" Miette asked. Serena knew where Miette was going with this.

"Maybe, but I don't know who." Serena responded. However, Miette saw right through this.

"Oh, come on. I know that you want to go with Ash." Miette stated.

"I was thinking about it, yeah. But what's your point?" Serena asked. She had an idea of what Miette was going to say.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I was thinking about asking him too." Miette replied.

"Surprise, surprise!" Serena thought.

"I guess you're going to do that then." Serena said. But what Miette said next surprised her.

 **TDBigJ's message:** Hm, I wonder what Miette is going to say. Well, just wait until the next chapter and you'll see for yourself. When that time comes, see you then!

 **TDBigJ out!**


	3. Prom Talk and Relaxation

**TDBigJ's message:** Hey people, what's up? This story got a little better after the last chapter. Got a couple more favorites and follows. That's all right with me. Hope your Christmas is going great and that you're having fun. I really don't have much to say. So, let's get on with the responding of the reviews. Skip past them if you want to get to the story.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

 **Guest:** I will consider putting your OC in my story.

 **Espeon44 (To review and PMs):** Thanks for sending me the info for your OC. But what gets me is that your OC is a girl and yet you want her to get with Dawn? I have no problems with gays or lesbians but I want to let the readers decide if they're okay with the whole idea. I'm not sure if I have the right idea. PM me so we can discuss it. And thanks for sending me an OC to date May as well.

 **Guest #2:** Time will tell if Dawn will kiss espeon44's OC. I am leaving that up to you guys but I want to talk to espeon44 first so I can get a general idea. And will Serena get her man? (I liked that part of your review) We'll see. Thanks for your review!

 **Guest #3:** Yeah, your amourshipping and proud message will encourage me. I appreciate the response you have to my amourshipping work. Thanks for the review!

It had been five weeks since Ash and Serena hung out on that one Saturday. Truth be told that they have been hanging out every Saturday since then, and they each enjoyed it very much, especially Serena. Serena was very overjoyed at the moment. She was inching closer and closer to asking Ash out. Just a little more time and then she would ask him.

It was another day at school and everyone was actually enjoying their day. It was passing time between third and fourth period. Passing periods were only five minutes so students had a short amount of time to get what they needed if they did need anything and get to their next class. Serena was at her locker putting away what she didn't need. She closed her locker and started walking to her next class. Rushing from behind her was Dawn.

"Hey, where are you headed off toward next?" Dawn asked.

"History of Kanto. What about you?" Serena asked in return.

"Geometry." Dawn responded. "Have you heard that prom is at the end of next month?"

"It is?"

"Yeah, and I am on the prom committee so I am helping out in setting it up." Dawn answered.

"That sounds cool. Is there a theme?" Serena asked.

"We haven't really thought of one yet." Dawn said, looking away. "Have you thought about who to go with?"

This stopped Serena in her tracks. "Wait! You have to bring a date?"

"No, not necessarily but in order to be crowned queen you have to." Dawn replied.

Serena thought this over for a moment. What if she was crowned queen, and Ash was next to her as king? She loved that thought. But prom was over a month away so she had time until she would ask him to go with her.

"That sounds nice, but I will need to find a date first. What about you?" Serena stated.

"There really isn't anyone." Dawn explained. "Is there anyone on your mind that you would like to go with?"

"Not at the moment." Serena said. She was lying but Dawn didn't know that.

"I hope you do. I think any boy would be good as your date." Dawn said. "Well, I have to head off to my next class. I'll see you at lunch." Dawn said and then ran off.

It was lunch period and Serena was the first among her friends to be sitting down. She was thinking something over. Ash and her have been having a great time with each other's company for a while now and she was thinking when she would finally ask him. Suddenly Dawn, May, Brock, Shauna, and Clemont arrived at the table and sat down.

"Well, look who's here first." Clemont stated.

"Hey Clemont. How was class?" Serena asked the blonde inventor.

"Great! Passed the quiz from Wednesday." Clemont beamed.

"So, I heard prom is at the end of next month. You thinking of asking someone to be your date?" Serena asked. Clemont blushed a deep red.

"Uh, no I haven't. I'm not sure if any girl here likes me that way." Clemont said, a little flustered.

"Oh come on, Clemont. There are hundreds of girls at this school. One of them is bound to like you." Shauna stated.

"Um, I don't think I'm emotionally ready." Clemont said, burying his face in his arms.

"Don't worry Clemont. You will get a date for prom. It's all a matter of time." May said. Clemont groaned and buried his face deeper in his arms.

"Just leave him alone guys. Don't put more pressure on the poor guy." Brock said trying to defend Clemont.

"What about you May? You have any idea who you want to take?" Dawn asked.

"No not really. I do have a lot of guy friends but I don't know who. Maybe I will ask Ash." May answered. Serena's eyes widened at this response.

"Really, you want to go with Ash?" Dawn asked, a little perplexed.

"Only if he's willing. If we do go together it will be just as friends." May explained. Serena breathed a sigh of relief, but only because May said "just as friends". She was still a little shaky that May would consider it.

"I'm not sure if Ash is even going. I think he said he doesn't even want to." Shauna stated.

"That's probably because no girl has asked him yet. I think he said he would go if a girl asked him." Dawn explained.

"I'll think about it. If he doesn't, then there's this other boy I was thinking of asking." May said.

"You've got a whole month to think about it. It's not like it is tomorrow." Brock stated.

"What about you Brock? Anyone?" May asked.

"Nah, I'm not sure. There are many girls I could ask though. But who?" Brock said to himself.

"Well Brock, you consider yourself a ladies man. Go after whoever think you would like to go with you." Dawn stated.

"Like you said to May, I've got a month to think about it." Brock said.

"Hey Serena, what about you?" Shauna asked. Serena then snapped out of her trance.

"Huh? What?" Serena asked, totally unaware of being asked this question.

"A guy you want to take to prom?" Shauna asked.

"Oh, uh, not really." Serena said, stuttering a bit. Her friends were now a little suspicious.

"Come on, do you like anyone?" Brock asked.

"Not that I know of." Serena lied.

"Serena, I can see right through it. You must like someone." Dawn stated.

"That's not true. There really isn't anyone I like more than a friend." Serena said, a little nervous. She wasn't really fooling her friends.

"Serena, the way you're talking and the look on your face says that you really do like someone." Shauna said. Serena took a look at each of her friends, each having a smug look on their faces. Serena then decided she would tell them.

"Fine, you're right. I do like someone." Serena confessed. Damn it peer pressure!

"Well, who is it?" May asked. Serena was about to reveal who she liked, so she took a deep breath and then relaxed herself a little.

"Promise that if I tell you that it won't be discussed outside of this group?" Serena asked. Each of her five friends nodded their heads.

"You can count on us. Our lips are sealed." Brock stated, making a zipping motion with his finger and thumb across his lips.

"It's… Ash." Serena answered. She expected the worst. She looked at her friends faces, they were a little surprised but by the looks of it, they were okay with it.

"Really? You like Ash?" May asked, raising an eyebrow, with a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, I admit it. I do have a little crush on him." Serena stated.

"Then maybe I shouldn't ask him then." May said.

"I guess we should've seen this coming." Brock stated.

"Huh?" Serena said quietly, looking at Brock.

"We always see him helping you and by the way you look at him when he does, well let's just say it's quite simple to tell." Brock explained. Serena looked at her group of friends.

"You guys knew about this?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow. They all nodded their heads.

"Not at first, but as time progressed, we started to notice it." Dawn stated. Serena was a little surprised at this.

"Aren't you going to ask him to prom?" May asked.

"Just like the rest of you, I'll think about it." Serena answered.

"You should go for it. I think you and Ash would make a cute couple now that I think about it." Shauna stated. This comment made Serena's whole face blush a deep crimson.

"I think we should stop talking about it. She's starting to act a little like Clemont." May stated.

It was near the end the sixth and final period and students were anticipating the end of the school day. Many were excited, for obvious reasons. Serena was sitting in her seat looking over her schoolwork. She then thought over the conversation she was having with her friends at lunch. She finally revealed to them that she liked Ash. But she was hoping that her friends wouldn't pressure her into asking Ash to the prom immediately. She couldn't do that. If they did, she'd be a lot more nervous asking him than she should be. The final bell rang and Serena got up from her seat and walked out of the classroom. She had to deal with students shoving past each other just so they could get home. Even a few shoved past her, but she was getting used to this.

Since it was the end of the school day Serena decided to stop by her locker first before heading home. She needed put some stuff away that she didn't need overnight. She closed her locker and started heading out. That is until a hand grabbed her shoulder making her stop. She turned around and saw that it was Miette.

"Hey, how are you doing?" Miette asked. Serena noticed that she was a little calmer than the other times she's seen her in the last month.

"Um, fine, what about you?" Serena asked nervously. She was a little uneasy being around Miette.

"Just the same. Anyway, I heard prom is next month. Plan on taking anyone?" Miette asked. Serena knew where Miette was going with this.

"Maybe, but I don't know who." Serena responded. However, Miette saw right through this.

"Oh, come on. I know that you want to go with Ash." Miette stated.

"I was thinking about it, yeah. But what's your point?" Serena asked. She had an idea of what Miette was going to say.

"Well, as a matter of fact, I was thinking about asking him too." Miette replied.

"Surprise, surprise!" Serena thought.

"I guess you're going to do that then." Serena said. But what Miette said next surprised her.

"Actually, no. At least not yet." Miette replied. Serena raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"The reason is, is that I think you should ask him." Miette stated. Serena was now confused. Why would Miette want her to ask Ash first.

"I'm sorry, I'm not getting what you're saying." Serena stated, still not understanding what Miette was trying to tell her.

"I was thinking that since you like him so much, probably more than me, that you get the first shot." Miette explained.

"Oh, wow! I'm surprised to hear you say that." Serena responded, now knowing the situation. Miette's expression then changed into a serious one.

"But I just want you to know something…"

"What?"

"Either you ask Ash to the prom, or I'll ask him to the prom." Miette stated. Serena's eyes widened a little bit. She wasn't expecting that.

"I'm just warning you. Don't take too much time." Miette said. Serena blushed a little then gave an annoyed glance at Miette before walking away.

"I'm not kidding, think fast!" Miette whispered.

After a fifteen minute walk home, Serena went into her room and fell face first down in her bed, her binder slamming on the floor as she did so. Grace stood in front of the doorway.

"Hard day?" Grace asked.

"Not really. Just tired." Serena replied, her voice muffled due to the fact her face was buried in her pillow. She took her hat off and threw it across the room.

"Now I didn't teach you to be messy." Grace stated a little irked her daughter did that kind of action.

"Mom, please just leave me alone. I want to rest for a few minutes." Serena said with her voice still muffled.

"You know, I can't really understand you with your face buried 20,000 leagues under your pillow." Grace said. Serena swiftly turned 180 degrees around so that she was now facing the ceiling, spread eagled.

"Mom, I just want to rest for a few minutes. I've had a long day." Serena moaned.

"I thought you said you didn't have a hard day." Grace questioned, with her arms crossed.

"I said long, not hard." Serena corrected.

"Well, whenever you're ready, you can come downstairs." Grace stated.

"Okay mom." Serena said, her eyes closed. Grace turned around and went back downstairs. "Mothers."

Serena rested there for a few moments, just relaxing her body from the long day she had. She then thought about what Miette said. Miette said she was serious when she said she would ask Ash to the prom if Serena took too long. Serena wanted nothing more than to go to the prom with Ash, and be queen beside him.

"I do want to stand next to Ash's side when prom comes around, but how will I tell him? I'm too shy to tell him how I feel." Serena whispered to herself. "If I can't tell him my feelings, how in the heck would I ask him to go to the prom with me?"

Many thoughts clouded Serena's mind. But there was just too many. She clutched the sides of her head with her hands with an expression of stress on her face.

"UUGH! What do I do?" Serena said out loud. This wasn't a problem she needed help with, she needed to solve this one on her own.

 **Ash's room**

Ash was sitting on his bed watching tv. And wouldn't you know it, it was a show about Pokemon battling. As a matter of fact, it was a news show that just so happened to reveal that the leagues from every region would be opening this summer. Ash likes summer not because he was away from school for the season, but he would go to a certain region every summer and challenge the gyms there so he could advance in becoming a Pokemon master. Summer was the only time he could do something like that, but at least he had a great summer every year. Suddenly his phone vibrated and he looked at it. He got a text message from Brock. It read…

" **Hey Ash. What's up?"**

" _Nothing really. Just watching the news, and they're announcing the opening of the leagues this summer."_

" **Heh, now you've got something to look forward to this summer. What region are you doing next?"**

" _I'm not quite sure. I've been here in Kanto, to Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, Unova, and Kalos. I don't know anything about another region yet."_

" **I'm sure they are bound to bring something up soon. Keep your fingers crossed."**

" _Oh I will be crossing them alright."_

" **Will you be leaving for the next region right after the school years over?"**

" _I'm probably going to take the day after the last day of school off and then go. I'm going to rest up that day so I will be energized for my next journey."_

" **Is it okay if I come with you on that journey?"**

" _Really? You want to travel with me again?"_

" **Sure, why not?**

" _It's just that you haven't traveled with me since I was on my Sinnoh journey, I only saw you once during my Unova journey, and I never saw you during my Kalos journey. You really want to start doing that again?"_

" **Look Ash, you're my best friend. I'm all for it. But I will only do it if it's okay with you."**

" _Sure Brock. Let's do it!"_

" **Awesome! And by the way, are you going to prom next month?"**

" _It depends. I will only go if a girl asks me. If that doesn't happen, I won't go."_

" **Yeah, I'm kind of deciding who I want to go with as well. I don't really know who I would be willing to take."**

" _There are plenty of girls in the school. There could be that one that would end up being your date."_

" **Yeah, that's true."**

" _Plus, none of the girls are the ones you hit on during our journey, so you might have a chance."_

" **Yeah, yeah, ha ha!**

" _I'm just playing with you."_

" **I know. Well, talk to you tomorrow."**

" _I'll see you then."_

Ash then put down his phone. He then felt really thirsty, so he went downstairs into the kitchen to grab a soda.

"Hey Ash, what have you been doing?" Delia asked her son who grabbed a can of soda then shut the fridge.

"Just been watching the tube and texting Brock." Ash answered as he opened his soda and took a swig.

"What were you watching?" Delia asked.

"Just Pokemon based news. Heard that the leagues are opening this summer." Ash explained.

"So right when schools out you're going to leave on another journey?" Delia asked, a little sad upon hearing the news.

"A couple days after most likely." Ash responded.

"I never get to see you during the summer. Can you at least stay back for one?" Delia asked trying to secure her son's company for a couple months out.

"Mom, you see me nine months a year out of twelve. Will three away really hurt you?" Ash asked.

"Yes. You're my only baby and I want you to be with your mother for another three months.

"Mom, I'm trying to become a Pokemon master. Would you want me to chase my dreams?" Ash asked, bringing up his future. Delia sighed, realizing her son was right.

"You've got a point there honey. I'm only thinking of myself. I shouldn't hold you back from your dreams." Delia replied with a small smile.

"Thank you mom!" Ash said. Delia then grabbed her son and pulled him into a tight hug, barely letting Ash get any oxygen.

"You're my hero every day, and I want you to pursue and achieve your dream." Delia said and then placed a kiss on her son's forehead.

"I appreciate it mom. But could you let go of me? I can't breathe!" Ash said in a raspy tone. Delia then realized how tight she was holding and let go.

"What about your conversation with Brock?" Delia asked.

"Oh nothing. Just about prom next month." Ash responded.

"Are you planning on going?" Delia asked, wondering if Ash had plans that day.

"I'm not really set on going but if a girl asks me I would be more than happy to be her date." Ash stated.

"Well, should you consider asking a girl yourself?" Delia asked, a little curious.

"There really isn't any girl I like more than a friend." Ash pointed out.

"It doesn't necessarily have to be a girl you have a romantic interest in. She can be just a friend." Delia said. Ash then took notice of this.

"I could do that. I don't know why I didn't consider that." Ash said while slapping the side of his head.

"Either that or you could just go by yourself. It's up to you." Delia said.

"Noted mom. I'll think about it." Ash said as he left and went back up to his room, soda in hand. Delia had a little smirk on her face.

"You could take that little friend you've been hanging out with lately." Delia thought to herself.

Ash got back up in his room. He put his soda down on the desk and decided to get on his laptop to check his email. He got on his email and saw that there was nothing new. He sighed and took off his hat and dragged his hands down his face. The only times he ever did check his email was if there was anything new about Pokemon or if his friends shot him a message.

"I got a couple months until I journey off again. I should really go over to Professor Oak's lab soon and check on my Pokemon. I haven't seen them in about a couple weeks." Ash said. Pikachu hopped up onto Ash's lap and looked up at him. Ash scratched the area between Pikachu's ears while Pikachu cooed lightly.

"Does that feel good, buddy? I know you've always liked that since we had our journey here in Kanto six years back." Ash stated to his best friend.

"Pika pi." Pikachu agreed.

Ash thought about what his mom said about going to prom next month. Would he really be taking someone, or just going by himself? Ash pondered this on for a minute. Ash always thought taking someone would be like a date and yet he knew nothing about romance. But at the same time, he has always been a people person so it wouldn't bother him. If he went alone, he would seem like a goof, but he knew for sure that there would be other people going by themselves. Having a date wasn't mandatory, and he could care less about being prom king, that was of no importance to him. He looked down at Pikachu.

"Man Pikachu, I've got a few weeks to decide what I'm doing for prom. I really don't want to worry about this too much, it's too soon." Ash stated.

"Pika pi, pika." Pikachu said.

"I do want to go, believe me. But I've got time to make a decision to see what I'm doing when it comes around." Ash said as he continued to scratch between Pikachu's ears. He noticed that scratching Pikachu has made Pikachu a little drowsy and made him start to fall asleep. Ash smiled at his longtime partner and picked him up off his lap and walked over and placed him on his bed so he could rest.

The two of them have been through so much on their journeys during each summer. During school, the only time Ash and Pikachu were ever together was at lunch or in the Pokemon battling class. When not in school, they were training for about a half hour a day or saving the occasional person from danger, which Ash did for Serena a month back. Ever since that day, the two have become really great friends. Ash would even consider them best friends if he could. Serena definitely did, that's for sure. They have been spending every Saturday together for the past five weeks and Ash has always had a good, no, great time with her every time. Ash wanted to make Serena feel welcome when she moved back to Pallet, and he was the one person who did that on a frequent basis. Ash realized his tv was still on mute and pressed the mute button to hear sound again. He sat there and watched tv while still scratching Pikachu's head and that continued for the rest of the day.

 **Serena's room**

Serena had been resting for the last hour after a long day at school. Tomorrow was Friday so that was good news. She grabbed a brush and motioned Fennekin up onto the bed. Fennekin jumped up and Serena started brushing her fur.

Serena went on a short journey with Fennekin while back in Kalos. She really didn't do much when she was on it. She did do a battle here and there but it was only occasional. She wasn't that great of a battler, she wasn't bad but she was far from phenomenal. Battling was only a thing she wanted to do every once in a while.

Serena spent the next ten minutes brushing Fennekin's fur until it was neat and straight. Fennekin enjoyed when Serena did this. It was just something that relaxed her. When she was done, Fennekin jumped down from the bed and went to a corner in the room and laid down and started snoozing. Serena giggled at the sight of her only Pokemon.

After that, Serena really had nothing to do so she went downstairs and out the front door onto the porch and sat down in a chair that was there. She looked out into the horizon. The sun was setting and the sky was a bright shade of orange.

"That looks so beautiful!" Serena said to herself. She enjoyed this while living back in Kalos, so seeing it in Kanto was just as good. She let out a yawn as she was starting to become distracted by the lovely view of the sunset. She wasn't tired, but sitting there by herself was very soothing. She continued sitting outside for about a good half hour until the gorgeous sight in the sky diminished and was starting to get replaced by a navy blue. But even though the orange sky was gone, Serena still decided to sit outside and stare into the distance. But since it was becoming nighttime, it started to become a little cold and Serena grasped her arms and shivered a little. Grace opened the front door and saw Serena sitting there and saw how cold she was.

"Serena, why don't you come inside where it's warm?" Grace asked. Serena shook her head.

"Nah. I may be cold but it's still very nice out here." Serena responded, wanting to remain outside.

"Well, would you at least like a blanket to keep you warm out here?" Grace asked in a concerned tone.

"Yeah, I would love one, please." Serena answered. Grace went back inside and went to a closet and fetched a blanket. She went back outside and handed it to Serena and Serena thanked her mother and wrapped the blanket around herself so she would be completely covered. Grace went back indoors and returned to what she was doing before.

Serena went back to looking at the night sky and remembered how it was making her feel before. This was one thing that she could do whenever she struggled, was upset, or just wanted to relax. So she sat there for quite a while, admiring the beauty that was so far away from her. She laid back farther in her seat, letting the back of the chair relax her even more, and she spent most of the night sitting there and nearly fell asleep, but she didn't want to miss a second of this. But then, a thought came into her mind.

"Sharing this with someone would make this even better." Serena whispered to herself and tilted her head until it was laying on the side of the chair.

 **Author's note:** And there you have it! What do you think? I think this is the best chapter I've written so far, but yet it's only the third one so I may be a little ahead of myself there and it's just my opinion. Since I think that, I want to know what you guys think. Your opinions matter too! Here is your preview.

"You doing all right, honey? Did you get your homework done?" Grace asked. Serena nodded her head.

"I did, mom. And I'm fine." Serena replied.

"Did your day go fine?"

"Yeah, it did mom. Thanks."

"You busy at all tonight?" Grace asked her daughter.

"No. Why?" Serena responded.

"No reason. Just wanted to know if you had any plans." Grace answered. She started walking away.

"I get she's my mom and all, but why would she be asking if I have any plans? I never have any plans." Serena thought to herself. Grace all of a sudden walked back towards the doorway.

"Oh by the way, get yourself cleaned up. Ash and his mom are coming over for dinner."

 **Author's note:** Whoa, Ash and his mom are coming over. What will happen during the night? Read the next chapter and find out. And remember the line in this chapter where Miette told Serena that if she didn't ask Ash to the prom in time that she would do it, it's kind of like the "You tell Ash how you feel, or I'll tell Ash how I feel" line from the episode "A Battle by Any Other Name." And also the line where Ash's mom said "You're my hero every day!" That was from the movie "Pokemon the Movie 2000: The Power of One". So with that said, I will see you in the next chapter. Until then…

 **Merry Christmas and happy holidays!**

 **See you in 2016!**

 **TDBigJ out!**


	4. New Plans and a Night Together

**TDBigJ's message:** What up people? How was your Christmas? Mine was great! I got an Xbox One plus a couple of games and also got Ted 2, which is a funny movie by the way. Well, we're now in 2016 as of today and I thought I would give you an update right off the bat to start the new year. How about that? I'd like to thank those of you who have been reading this story for the past few weeks and who read my Christmas one-shot (Back for Christmas) that I posted last week. Anyway, on to the responding of reviews (Skip if you want).

 **Guest:** It seems that you're okay with Dawn dating a girl. There's one person on board with the idea. On my profile it says I have no interest in writing gay or lesbian fics but at the same time I am not a homophobe. But if you're all fine with Dawn dating a girl then I will let it slide this time only. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44 (to reviews and PM):** Glad that you loved the chapter. I hope to talk to you soon as well. Thanks for the continued support since the first chapter. And thanks for letting me into your community!

 **Guest #2:** Thanks for reviewing again and for the continued support since the first chapter. I will keep up the Serena and Ash shipping work and be a proud amourshipper!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

It was a calm and sunny morning in Pallet Town. It was 7:30 a.m. Friday morning. Ash was sound asleep in his bed. He only had an hour until school started. Delia walked up into her son's room to see him snoozing the time away.

"Ash… Ash, get up honey." Delia silently whispered, nudging Ash a couple times to jar him awake. It was without success.

"Ash come on, you've got school in an hour. Get yourself out of bed." Still no answer. "Man he's such a heavy sleeper. I would have Pikachu thunderbolt him awake but he's sleeping too." She then gave up and left the room. She didn't want to waste anymore time trying to wake up her only child. Pikachu then woke up and let out a "Cha!" while stretching it's little arms out. He noticed his trainer still asleep next to him and also nudged to get him awake.

"Pika… pika… pika…" Pikachu said while nudging him each time he spoke. He then realized he was going nowhere with just bumping him. Pikachu got off the bed and jumped up onto the dresser. Pikachu got in a steady position, a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He got on all fours and readied himself. Then, with all his strength, jumped at full speed and landed on top of Ash. This jolted Ash awake.

"Oh, hey Pikachu. Good morning." Ash greeted his partner. Ash was used to Pikachu jumping on him almost every morning to get him up. Pikachu thought he would have to thunderbolt him tomorrow if it happened again. Ash sat up on his bed and looked at the alarm clock next to it. It read 7:35 a.m.

"Oh geez, I have to get ready. School starts in less than an hour." Ash said as he hurriedly got his day clothes ready and rushed into the bathroom to take a shower.

After twenty minutes Ash had taken his shower and put on his daily attire. He went downstairs to eat a quick breakfast before he had to rush off to school.

"Hey, you're up. What took you so long? Pikachu jump on you again?" Delia asked. She knew how Pikachu always woke up Ash.

"Yeah, he did mom." Ash answered while taking a couple of toaster pastries out of a package and putting them in the toaster.

"Well, hurry up and eat. School starts in a half hour." Delia stated.

"Don't worry, I'll have these eaten in a flash. I'm never usually late for school." Ash said as he poured himself a glass of milk and took a drink out of it.

"Don't risk it by taking too long to eat those. You could just eat them on the way to school you know." Delia mentioned.

"Have you seen me eat mom?" Ash asked, motioning his arms out, telling her that she should know the answer to this.

"You eat too fast honey. I'm surprised you don't get hiccups on a constant basis." Delia replied. The toaster pastries popped out of the toaster and Ash grabbed one of them while it was still in the air and took a bite out of it.

"Lucky me!" Ash remarked.

"Did you remember to change your you-know-what's this morning?" Delia asked the all too popular question she commonly asked her son.

"Mom, seriously, you don't need to keep asking me every morning. And yes, I did." Ash responded. Delia had a smirk playing at her lips. She could have fun with Ash at times.

Ash then finished up the second toaster pastry and wiped his hands of any leftover crumbs and gulped down the last of his milk. Before grabbing his binder and rushing out the door with Pikachu.

"Bye honey, I love you!" Delia called from the kitchen.

"Love you too mom!" Ash replied as he closed the front door and started walking towards the school.

 **Forty minutes earlier**

Serena was still sound asleep in her bed. Fennekin was sleeping in the corner of the room. The family Fletchling flew in and stood on the headrest of Serena's bed. It was about to peck until Serena startled it.

"I swear, don't do it Fletchling. I know you're about to." Serena said with her eyes still closed. The red bird Pokemon stopped midway through it's peck and flew back outside and down onto the windowsill of the kitchen. Grace noticed Fletchling swoop down.

"Did you get her awake?"

"Fletch, Fletchling."

"She woke up before you could, huh? At least she's getting used to that."

Meanwhile, up in her room, Serena sat up on her bed and stretched her arms. Fennekin saw her wake up and walked over to her trainer.

"Hey Fennekin, good morning." Serena said as she stroked the fox Pokemon's head. She got up and opened the window to her room. The bright sun shone in her eyes. Serena had to put both her arms in front of her face to keep from being blinded.

"Whoa, sun's bright." Serena stated. She looked at her clock and it read 7:35 a.m.

"Got to get ready for school. It starts in less than an hour." She grabbed her clothes and went into the bathroom to take her morning shower.

She had taken her shower and put on her outfit. She was busy brushing her hair after she had dried it. It needed to look nice and shiny today as the sun was out and booming. She finished up and put on her hat and went downstairs to eat breakfast. She looked at the clock on the stove: 8:00. She decided to eat breakfast quick and then get to school.

"Good morning. I'm surprised that Fletchling didn't have to get you up this time." Grace stated. Serena rolled her eyes at the statement.

"When that bird has waked me up the many times it has, it can be easily anticipated." Serena said.

"Well, takes time to get used to it."

"It has taken me so much time to." Serena replied as she took a drink of orange juice she had poured herself.

"Hurry up and eat breakfast. You've got school in a half hour." Grace said, pointing at the time.

"Yeah, I know mom."

Serena finished her breakfast and orange juice in five minutes. She ate it slowly, unlike somebody. She grabbed her binder and walked out the front door.

"Bye honey, you have a good day." Grace called out from the kitchen.

"I will mom. See you after school." Serena responded as she left the house and closed the door behind her.

Serena entered the pathway she usually took to school every morning. A lot of students took this path but she was the only one on it right now. At least she thought that before a hand touched her shoulder. She looked and saw that it was Ash's.

"Hey."

"Oh hey Ash. You surprised me."

"Sorry about that." Ash apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I wasn't really complaining." Serena said.

"Hey it's Friday. One more day and it's the weekend." Ash stated.

"Yep."

"We're still on for hanging out this weekend, right?" Ash asked.

"Oh yeah, definitely." Serena replied. At least she had that to look forward to every Saturday. "What do you think we should do?"

"I was thinking we should do something different."

"Like?"

"I haven't thought about it yet." Ash answered. He looked at Serena and smiled.

"Hey you look pretty this morning." Serena then felt a jolt rush through her entire body. She blushed a bright red. Ash has never called her that. Not once. She looked over at Ash.

"Uh… th-thanks Ash." Serena replied, with a couple stutters in her speech. "You look very handsome."

"Thanks! You ready for school?"

"Yeah. I got my homework done. So I shouldn't feel worried about that." Serena responded.

"I think you are getting better at your work. I'm impressed." Ash commented.

"I appreciate it. That means a lot coming from you." Serena stated.

The two eventually reached the school. Since they had the same first period they didn't part ways and walked straight to it. Ash took his seat in the front of the class while Serena took hers in the middle. Dawn turned around in her seat.

"Hey. How's your morning been going?"

"Fine. Just walked to school with Ash."

"Ooh, you two getting closer?" Dawn said mischievously. Serena once again blushed a bright red.

"Uh, kind of." Serena said. She was nervous on the whole subject still.

"I'm just playing. But you two seem to have a good connection. Walking with each other to school has got to mean something." Dawn stated.

"He and I only live three houses away, so it's not really uncommon." Serena said.

"Whoa, I didn't know you two lived so close either." Dawn stated. Serena slouched down in her seat.

"Keep it quiet please. Ash might hear us." Serena said, pleading with Dawn not to let anything slip.

"Okay, okay. I apologize. I'd hate to be the one that lets your secret out." Dawn said. She turned back face forward in her seat. Serena breathed a sigh of relief. Why were all her friends so into the fact that she had a love interest in Ash? It wasn't one she was embarrassed about, but it would be embarrassing if one of them blurted it out to everyone. She didn't want to be the focus of gossip. She would hate that. She wouldn't be able to show her face anywhere in school.

Lunchtime came around and Serena was once again the first one at her table. Shauna then showed up and sat down. She looked directly at Serena.

"Have you thought about it yet?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" Serena asked, looking up at Shauna.

"About asking Ash to prom. Have you decided yet?" Shauna asked.

"No. I need some more time." Serena replied.

"Well, you better hurry. I think I heard some other girls wanting to ask Ash as well." Shauna stated. Serena then had a look of worry.

"Oh, then I SHOULD think fast." Serena responded. Brock, May, Clemont, and Dawn then showed up.

"Hey guys." Brock greeted.

"Hey." They all replied.

"So what has been going on, Serena? You ask Ash yet?" May asked. Serena sighed.

"No."

"Well why don't you? You shouldn't take too long." May responded.

"Yeah, Ash will only go if a girl asks him. Be that girl." Dawn said.

"He'd be totally cool with it. Just go ask him." Clemont suggested.

"Don't be afraid. I doubt he will say no." Brock stated.

Suddenly they all started asking many questions to Serena. Serena was starting to feel annoyed by this. After one too many, she snapped.

"GUYS!" Serena shouted. "Could you please stop it? You're putting too much pressure on me." The five of them apologized for the twenty questions situation they just put her in. "This moment couldn't get more stressful." Serena thought to herself. But wouldn't you know it, it did when Ash showed up at the table.

"Ash, what are you doing here?" Clemont asked.

"Yeah, it's been a while since you sat here with us." May stated.

"We were just talking about you." Brock said. Shauna elbowed him in the side. "Never mind."

"So what are you guys discussing?" Ash asked, folding his arms on the table.

"Nothing important." Clemont answered.

"Oh." May then looked at Serena and Serena noticed. May motioned her head towards Ash. Serena then jumped a little and moved her head the other way.

"Hey Serena." Ash greeted. Serena continued to look away. "Serena, you doing all right?

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'll be right back." Serena said as she got up and left the lunchroom.

"You guys know what's going on with her? She didn't respond to me. She usually does." Ash stated.

"I know nothing. I have no idea why." Brock said, trying to hide the fact that the discussion with Serena was about him.

"I'm not sure why, Ash. She probably needs to get some fresh air." Shauna said. Ash nodded his head, understanding what she told him. It was a lie but did she really need to tell him that?

Meanwhile, Serena went to a nearby corner in the hallway and leaned up against it. She pinched her eyes with her right index finger and thumb.

"I didn't mean to walk away from Ash like that, but the situation was already stressful enough as it is. I also didn't mean to not answer him either. He's probably confused to why I didn't." Serena said to herself. She took a deep breath.

"Look, it's Friday. After today, I have the weekend and I can talk to him then. Without the others around. A few students noticed her standing there. They were going to ask her what was going on, but thought they would rather not bother her and walked on.

Later that day at 2:05, the bell rang signaling the end of the school day. Serena shot up out of her seat and quickly walked out of the classroom and started walking home. She didn't want to talk to anybody right now. She was still a little stressful from the talk at lunch, but not as much as she was then. The walk home was peaceful, which was what she needed. Ash never met up with her during the walk home. He usually did, but he was probably talking to his friends before he left the school. She approached the front doors of her house and walked in. She went upstairs to her room and fell flat on her bed. She was a little tired from her day. She just wanted to relieve herself from the leftover stress that was still in her. Luckily her mom didn't call out to her when she got home, so she didn't hear the usual questions she asked when she set foot in her house. She rested the right side of her head on her pillow and took her fedora off and tossed it beside her on the bed. She looked at the wall, wondering the events of the events of her school day.

"Why do they insist I ask Ash right off the bat? I told them initially that I would think it over. But they keep pushing me to ask him now." Serena said to herself. She liked her friends but they were always doing this to her, putting a lot of pressure on her. It struck her nerves, but only slightly.

"But in a way they are kind of right. If I take too long then another girl would have asked him and I would be out of luck." Serena continued to herself. "Man, this is so hard!" Fennekin noticed the situation her trainer was in and walked up to her.

"Fen?"

"It's nothing Fennekin. My friends are bugging me on the subject of asking Ash to the prom. I've needed the time to think it over but they're pushing me to do it now." Serena replied. Fennekin jumped up onto the bed and nuzzled her head against her owner. Serena smiled and pet the top of Fennekin's head.

"I mean, I really do want to ask him, but I can't handle the fact my friends keep asking me every day and plus Miette saying I shouldn't wait too long or she'll do it."

Serena hasn't felt this pressured in a long time. It was a subject she was very fond of, but she didn't expect this kind of situation. Fennekin jumped down from the bed and went back to her corner. Serena grabbed her binder and started doing the little work she had to do.

Ten minutes later she finished her work. She rested the right side of her head on the pillow again, once more thinking about what her friends were telling her. Grace then came upstairs and stood in front of the doorway.

"You doing all right, honey? Did you get your homework done?" Grace asked. Serena nodded her head.

"I did, mom. And I'm fine." Serena replied.

"Did your day go fine?"

"Yeah, it did mom. Thanks."

"You busy at all tonight?" Grace asked her daughter.

"No. Why?" Serena responded.

"No reason. Just wanted to know if you had any plans." Grace answered. She started walking away.

"I get she's my mom and all, but why would she be asking if I have any plans? I never have any plans." Serena thought to herself. Grace all of a sudden walked back towards the doorway.

"Oh by the way, get yourself cleaned up. Ash and his mom are coming over for dinner."

Serena's head jerked up with a jolt, her eyes widened. "Ash is coming over? Oh my, I have to get ready." She rushed into the bathroom to groom herself. She took her brush and started combing her hair.

Meanwhile, Ash was at Professor Oak's lab checking up on the Pokemon he has caught on all his journeys. The ones he was currently with were: Charizard, Talonflame, and Gliscor. They all tackled him to the ground when he came in. Professor Oak told him they had been doing just fine in the last couple of weeks when he last saw them.

"They have been doing just fine, Ash. From the way they tackled you coming in here, they sure have missed you lately." Professor Oak noted.

"That is great! I really miss battling with you guys. I really wish I could take you on my next journey this summer." Ash stated to all his caught Pokemon.

"Well, why don't you Ash?" Professor Oak asked.

"You know how I start a new journey. I go to a new region with just Pikachu and catch new Pokemon and learn new ways to train each of them." Ash explained.

"I admire your determination Ash. You've got about a month and a half until school gets out and you start another journey. Do you know what region to explore next?" Oak asked, curious about Ash's future plans.

"I haven't really decided yet. But I've already got someone to accompany me on my next journey." Ash stated.

"And who would that be?"

"Brock. He asked me a short while ago and I agreed to it." Ash answered.

"Wow! He's traveling with you again? Didn't he travel with you here in Kanto, then Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh?" Oak asked.

"Yeah. I kind of miss traveling with him after Sinnoh because I hardly saw him after that, besides school." Ash explained.

"It's nice to have an old friend join you on your travels again. I'm pretty sure you and Brock will have a good time once more. Is there anyone else traveling with you then?" Oak asked.

"Nah. I haven't really asked anyone else. Maybe something will happen soon where I will." Ash responded. He then checked his watch, it read 4:30. "Oh crap! I've got to go get prepared."

"What is it, Ash?" Oak asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm having dinner with a friend tonight."

"Oh that's great! You go have fun, kiddo." Oak said. Ash left the lab, waving goodbye to Professor Oak. He ran over to his house and hurried up to his room. He went into the bathroom to check over his appearance. Nothing wrong. He was going to wear his usual outfit. There was no need of wearing something formal. It was just dinner with Serena and her mom.

After five minutes Delia called Ash down and told him they were about to leave. Ash grabbed his cap and put it on and rushed downstairs. Delia was already waiting at the bottom of the stairs for him. He told her he was ready and they walked out the front door. They started their way over to Serena's house. Since they only lived three houses away it was a quick walk and they got there in less than a minute. Delia knocked on the door and Grace answered it in a hurry.

"Oh hey you two. Come on in. Ash, Serena is up in the bathroom getting ready. You can go meet her there." Grace stated. Ash took note of this and went upstairs to see Serena. He noticed the bathroom light was on and the door was closed. So he knocked on it to alarm her that he was there.

"Yeah?"

"Hey Serena, it's Ash. I'm here."

"Oh Ash. Come on in. Don't worry, I'm dressed." Ash then opened the door to see Serena there, who was still brushing her hair.

"Hey, watcha doin'?" Ash asked.

"I was just grooming myself. I wanted to look decent when you arrived." Serena answered.

"Why? You don't need to get all straightened up for me. You look pretty enough as it is." Ash commented. That was the second time Ash said she was pretty today. Serena was then caught in another blush, but not before turning her head away as a bright pink one appeared. Ash unfortunately noticed.

"Why are you all pink?" Ash asked. Serena's eyes widened.

"H-how did you know?" Serena asked, still facing the opposite direction.

"You're standing in front of a mirror, I can see it clearly." Ash responded. Serena felt a little embarrassed but eventually shook it off. "So why are you pink? Do you have a fever?"

"Uh, no I'm fine. I'm just… uh… um…"

"It's fine. You don't have to answer if you don't want to. It's not important." Ash stated. Serena mentally sighed in relief. She just dodged a bullet.

"It's nice of your mom to ask if we could all have dinner together." Serena said.

"Oh it wasn't my mom's idea, it was mine." Ash stated.

"Wait, it was yours?" Serena asked. Ash nodded his head. "Well then, thank you. It was a great idea."

"And I have something else planned." Ash mentioned. This caught Serena's attention.

"Like what?"

"You'll see. Remember when I said we should do something different this weekend? Well, I have something in store. Just wait and you'll find out." Ash explained.

Serena let a small smile creep across her lips. She was now excited to see what Ash was talking about. But then Grace called them and said it was time for dinner. Serena put down her brush and rushed with Ash downstairs. They saw their moms sitting down at the table already. They took a seat next to each other. They saw that they were having lasagna. Grace told them they could serve themselves.

They were having a polite conversation halfway through dinner. Grace turned to Ash. She apparently had something to say to him.

"Ash, I just want to say thank you for helping out Serena and being there for her since we moved back here. You've been the only person who's made her feel welcome and spent a lot of time with her." Grace explained.

"Oh, it's nothing Grace. I just felt like I should be the one stepping up to give her a hand. No one was doing it so I decided to." Ash replied.

"I appreciate it. You've been very cordial in doing so." Grace said.

Ash finished his dinner and asked Grace where he could put his plate and Grace said he could just put it in the sink. Serena finished right after and did the same thing.

"We're going to go upstairs mom." Serena told her mother.

"Okay, you two have fun." Grace responded as Ash and Serena ran up the stairs into Serena's room. Grace looked at Delia.

"I think my daughter likes your son." Grace stated.

"What makes you think so?" Delia asked.

"Every time he comes over here to hang out with her, she seems very excited. And I've seen the way she looks at him."

"Like how?"

"Whenever he compliments her, she blushes. It's clearly obvious."

"So that means…"

"Yeah. My daughter has a crush on your son." Delia had a look of joy on her face. She never thought this would happen.

"That's so sweet! And he always enjoys when they hang out too." Delia said.

"Just wait and see. Prom is coming up at their school. Don't be surprised if she asks him to go with her." Grace stated.

"I freaking knew it." Delia thought.

Pikachu was just sitting there sleeping. He awoke when he heard Ash and Serena's footsteps as they came into the room. Ash noticed Fennekin laying in her usual corner.

"Isn't that a Fennekin?" Ash asked, pointing at the fox Pokemon.

"Yeah, that's my Pokemon that I got back in Kalos. She's my first one." Serena answered.

"She's a great looking Pokemon. Have you battled with her at all?" Ash asked.

"Only slightly. We didn't do much battling when I traveled Kalos." Serena responded.

"You didn't huh?"

"Yeah, I wasn't really good at it. I mean I wasn't bad but I was nowhere near great." Serena explained.

"What did you want to do when you traveled?" Ash asked.

"I really didn't have a plan. I just wanted to travel around and see what it was like being a trainer." Serena answered.

"Why don't you think of a plan the next time you travel. I'm sure there will be something you will like to do." Ash stated.

"I don't think I will be going on another journey. One would be enough for me." Serena said.

"You should. It's a lot more fun than you think." Ash said.

"I'll think about it." Serena said.

"Why don't you come with me on my next journey?" Ash suggested. Serena was caught by surprise.

"Wha- really?"

"Yeah. I already have someone else lined up to travel with me on my next journey this summer. Why don't you tag along?" Serena put it into some thought and then she smiled.

"Sure! Why not?" Serena answered with a wink.

The next couple hours they were conversing with each other. The traveling suggestion was talked about but it was mostly about school. It was put to a halt when Ash got up off her bed.

"Where are you going?" Serena asked.

"Hang on. I'll be right back. I have to do something." Ash responded. He left the room and went downstairs. Serena had no idea what he was doing. But it must have been important if he had to do so. Ash came back up within a minute.

"My mom and I are about to go."

"Oh, then it was nice-"

"You might want to get packed up."

"Huh?"

"You want to come over and spend the night at my house?" Ash asked. Serena was surprised.

"You want me to spend the night with you?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. It was okay with my mom and your mom, so what do you think?" Ash asked.

"Of course. Let me pack up first."

Serena took a good five minutes gathering what she needed. She grabbed her pajamas and told Fennekin to come along. When she finished, her and Ash left her room and she turned the light off and closed the door behind her and went downstairs where Delia was waiting. Serena said goodbye to her mother and the three of them left. They got to Ash's house within seconds. Ash and Serena bolted up to Ash's room after Delia unlocked the door. Delia giggled at the two of them.

"They're so cute together!" Delia whispered to herself.

Ash and Serena entered Ash's room where Ash turned the light on. He told Serena she could sit anywhere. Pikachu and Fennekin ran over to Pikachu's part of the room and started conversing. It was 9:00 at night so Serena thought she would get her pajamas on. Ash told her she could go change in the bathroom if she wanted. She went into the bathroom to do so. She came out a couple minutes later in her usual sleeping attire: A light blue long sleeved shirt and pink shorts. She went over to sit on Ash's bed. Ash was admiring Pikachu and Fennekin talking to each other.

"Pikachu and Fennekin are sure getting along well." Ash stated. Serena looked at the two and smiled.

"They sure are. This is the first time they've really seen each other. I'm glad they are getting to know each other." Serena said.

"Okay, I'm going to get into my pajamas as well." Ash said and then grabbed a white t-shirt and light blue pajama pants from his dresser. He went towards the bathroom before Serena stopped him.

"Where are you going?"

"In the bathroom to change." Ash answered.

"Why? You embarrassed to change in front of a girl?" Serena joked with half closed eyes. Ash blushed a dark red.

"Uh, no. It's just that-"

"I'm just playing with you Ash. Go on ahead." Serena responded.

"Uh, right. I'll go do that." Ash said and went into the bathroom to change into his pajamas. Serena giggled to herself. It was cute of him to be all nervous like that. He emerged a minute later with his pajamas on.

"So what did you do after school today?" Serena asked.

"Oh I just went to Professor Oak's lab and checked up on my Pokemon. That's pretty much it." Ash replied.

"That's cool. Will you take me to meet them sometime?" Serena asked. Ash nodded his head.

"Absolutely." Another question popped into her head.

"When you were on your journeys, when it came to the leagues, did you win any of them?" Serena asked with curiosity.

"Unfortunately, no. I never won a single league. But I hope that in the next region I will." Ash responded. Serena liked his determination. Made him seem more mature.

"If you're wondering, you can sleep in my bed tonight. I'll sleep downstairs." Ash said. Serena felt a little confused at that.

"Why?"

"I feel like it is better for you to sleep in it. I can handle sleeping on the couch." Serena didn't want Ash to do this. She didn't want him sacrificing his bed for her. It didn't feel right. But then a thought came into her mind.

"Actually, would it be okay, if you… um… could sleep next to me?" Serena suggested. Ash raised an eyebrow.

"Why would you want to sleep in the same bed as me?"

"I don't want to feel lonely and plus, I couldn't let you sleep on the couch. That would probably be uncomfortable." Serena stated. Ash then thought about it and smiled.

"Okay. If that's fine with you. But I can totally sleep on the couch." Ash replied.

"No, just… stay here with me. It would probably feel better." Serena said.

"Thanks. I appreciate your concern." Ash said.

"Anytime Ash." Serena responded.

The next three hours flew by and Serena was starting to feel tired. She tapped Ash's shoulder, gaining his attention.

"Ash, I'm getting tired so I think I will be going to sleep." Serena said.

"Oh, okay. Let me scoot over." Ash said and then moved to a side of the bed so Serena would have her own half. She got under the covers and pulled them up and then rested her head on the pillow.

"Good night, Ash." Serena said.

"Good night, Serena." Ash replied.

Another hour passed by and it was now 1:00 a.m. Ash had fallen asleep as well, as did Pikachu and Fennekin. The two had gone to sleep about a half hour ago. Ash was tired so he went to sleep.

Yet another hour went by and everyone was sleeping peacefully. All except for one: Serena. The honey blonde was shifting around in her sleep, moaning worriedly. She tossed and turned so many times. After about a few more seconds, Serena awoke with a jolt. She looked around and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh thank heavens. It was just a nightmare." Serena said to herself. She saw Ash next to her, sound asleep. The nightmare was about him. She got up carefully off the bed, making sure she didn't wake Ash up. She went to the bathroom and flicked the light on and went to the sink and turned on the faucet. She splashed cold water into her face a few times before looking at the mirror. She then grabbed her arms and looked down.

"That was terrible! That nightmare scared the living daylights out of me. I can't stand seeing Ash sacrifice himself to save me. I really hope that doesn't happen for real. I wouldn't want him to die like that." Serena said to herself. She turned on the faucet again and splashed some water into her face a few more times. She turned the water off and grabbed a handtowel that was on the counter and patted her face dry. She left the bathroom and turned the light off. She walked back into Ash's room and went back to lay down. She stopped a few steps in front of Ash's bed and looked at him. She couldn't fall asleep now. Not after that nightmare. She couldn't. Unless…

"What if I…" Serena thought to herself.

She then had an idea in her mind. She wasn't too sure on it. But he wasn't awake right now, and he was facing upward. She thought she would take the opportunity. Now was as good a time as any. She nudged Ash a few times to make sure he wasn't awake. He never responded so that gave her the green light.

She then leaned down so that her face was right above Ash's. He was in a deep sleep, so she took a deep breath and closed her eyes and then she firmly planted her lips against his. The kiss sent a whirlwind of sensation throughout her body. She has been wanting to do this since the day she met him. She was really enjoying the kiss, letting her lips lay on his for as long as she wanted. After about a good two minutes of kissing him she released herself from his mouth. She let a small smile play across her face. She then got back into the bed slowly so that she didn't jar him awake. Luckily she didn't as she got the covers over her. She closed her eyes with the smile still showing.

"That was fun!" Serena thought to herself.

But unfortunately for her, Pikachu awoke and saw the whole thing happen. But he had a tiny smile with his eyes half open. He now knew that his best friend had a lover, and immediately closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

 **Author's note:** Well look at that ending. Pretty good, huh? I loved it! And I'm pretty sure all you amourshippers will love it as well. I think this is my new favorite chapter. Of course I said the last chapter was my favorite, but I changed my mind, it's now this one. What did you think? Leave your thoughts and I'll leave you with a preview of the next chapter.

Ash and Serena approached the top of a small hill and stood there, looking at the great view they had.

"What do you think?" Ash said, motioning his arms towards the sight.

"It's really beautiful!" Serena commented, looking at the field of flowers that was in front of them. Ash didn't mind the sight. He wasn't really a person that was interested in looking at a field of flowers but he thought Serena would and that's all he cared about.

"You like it?" Ash asked.

"I love it!" Serena replied. "Thank you for taking me here Ash. It was really thoughtful of you."

"You're welcome. I only brought you here because I thought you would like it." Ash stated. Serena looked at him and smiled. She then threw herself into a hug with him.

"Thank you so much. I couldn't have asked for anything better." Serena exclaimed.

"Well, I thought about you. I didn't really care if I wasn't into this." Ash said.

"You didn't have to. I'm glad you took me here." Serena stated. Ash took a few steps forward.

"Me too. Now that I think about i- WHOA!" Ash said before the ground crumbled beneath him and he started falling down the hill. Serena gasped.

"ASH!" She shouted and she started running after him.

 **Author's note:** Uh oh! Ash slipped and fell down a hill. What is going to happen next? Wait until the next chapter and see for yourself. The part where Serena winked when Ash suggested they travel together that summer is kind of like the fifth or sixth episode of the XY series when the same thing happened. I made Ash comment Serena out of the blue because he always seems to do that in the XY series. I like it when he does that without even realizing it. Either that or he does and might be losing his denseness. I'll see you in the next chapter. Until then…

 **Happy new year! Welcome to 2016!**

 **TDBigJ out!**


	5. Between the Two of Us

**TDBigJ's message:** Hello everybody! What's up? How's the last week been for you? So I have gotten a few more supporters for this story, and I got six reviews for the last chapter. That's the most I've got for a chapter for any of my stories. Yeah, I know that seems sad, but I'm not one to beg for them. I've really got nothing else to say, so on to the responding of reviews. As usual, you can skip them if you want.

 **JC (Guest #1):** Uh… what?

 **Guest #2:** Glad you like it. He might. You never know. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44:** Two dates ask her? If you want. I could do that. And Dawn's love interest, do you want it to be your OC? PM me if you want to talk about it. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #3:** I could do that, but it probably won't be until later in the story. Thanks for the review!

 **Rams30 (Guest #4):** If you guys want her to. Espeon44's OC is a girl and if you guys are fine with Dawn dating a girl, I will allow it, but only for this story. On my profile it says I don't plan on writing yaoi or yuri fics, but I am not a homophobe, don't get me wrong. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #5:** Thanks for reading the newest chapter as you usually do. I will keep up the amourshipping work. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

It was 8:00 the next morning and it was Saturday. Serena was still sound asleep in Ash's bed. She couldn't sleep easily at first last night, but the secret kiss she gave Ash made her go into a slumber that made her sleep like a baby. Ash's alarm went off which woke up Serena. She looked at the alarm clock and shut it off by flicking a switch. She sat up and let out a soft yawn while stretching her arms. She didn't see Ash next to her on the bed. He must have woken up already. Pikachu and Fennekin weren't in the room either so they must have gotten up as well and followed Ash. She got out of bed and headed downstairs. She reached the kitchen and saw Ash standing by the sink, sipping on a cup of coffee. Ash saw her as she entered.

"Morning sleeping beauty. Sleep well last night?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. Not at first but I was able to afterwards." Serena replied.

"What made you sleep?"

"Uh, nothing really. Maybe it was the fact that I wasn't alone and you were right there next to me, keeping me company." Serena explained. She was only saying something half true. She of course didn't want Ash to know what she really did. Ash grabbed another cup of coffee that was next to him and handed it to her. Serena thanked Ash and took a sip.

"It's just good that you got some sleep. You wouldn't want to wake up all cranky. Believe me, my mom is like that a lot in the morning." Ash stated.

"Hey, I heard that." Delia spoke while walking down the stairs, rubbing her eyes. Ash rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness.

"Oh, heh heh, sorry mom. I didn't mean it." Ash apologized with a smile.

"It's all right honey. You're right a little bit." Delia said. Ash grabbed a third mug of coffee that was next to him and handed it to his mom.

"So how was it like sleeping in the same bed last night?" Delia asked as she took a drink of her coffee.

"It was fine mom. Had a good night's rest. What else is there to say?"

"You two didn't do anything did you?" Delia asked. This caused Ash and Serena's eyes to widen as Serena started coughing after the coffee went down the wrong pipe and Ash spit out his. Both of their faces turned a dark crimson.

"MOM! Did you really need to ask that?" Ash shouted in embarrassment. Delia smiled and giggled.

"Honey, I'm only kidding. I know that you wouldn't do that." Delia said. Ash and Serena both looked at each other in shock. Their faces where still crimson from the question. Delia mentally laughed to herself.

After they finished their coffee, Ash and Serena went to go take a shower. Ash, being the gentleman that he is, let Serena go first. After fifteen minutes he went to take his. They both groomed themselves for the day. Since it was Saturday, this was their day to hang out. Ash got himself dressed, minus his cap. He opened the blinds and let the bright Pallet sun shine in his room. Pikachu climbed up onto Ash's nightstand to take in the bright sun. Fennekin joined him as well.

"Does Pikachu always do this?" Serena asked.

"Yeah he does. He likes it, and it gives him his morning energy." Ash responded. "Does Fennekin do it also?"

"Only occasionally. She's not usually a morning Pokemon." Ash reflected on what his mom said not too long ago.

"That question my mom asked us. Kind of uncomfortable, huh?"

"It was. I mean, why would she think we would… uh… you know?"

"I know. We're only sixteen for crying out loud. We're smarter than that."

"Your mom do this often? I mean, make you nervous like that?"

"Yeah, she kind of does. She's my mom and I love her and everything, but she's always trying to embarrass me."

"You know that she doesn't mean to make you uncomfortable, she's just probably trying to play around with you."

"Yeah, well, that's what mom's do I guess."

"Just imagine how I would have felt if it was my mom that asked me that."

"You'd be in the same situation."

"Probably."

Pikachu then hopped up onto the windowsill and then jumped onto Ash's shoulder. Ash scratched Pikachu's head while Pikachu closed his eyes and enjoyed it.

"So Pikachu was your starter?" Serena asked. Ash nodded his head.

"Yep."

"Was he one of the three choices you had to pick from?"

"No. I woke up late that day but luckily Professor Oak had a spare and it happened to be Pikachu. He and I became best friends when he saved my life that day."

"How did he save you?" Serena said as she straightened her position on the bed. Ash sat down in his chair before answering.

"A flock of Spearow came flying right at me, about to attack me but luckily Pikachu was there and knocked them all out with a thunderbolt." Serena's face lit up with happiness. Pikachu got off Ash's shoulder and walked over to the bed.

"Wow! That's amazing! That was an awful nice thing he did." Serena stated.

"From then on, he and I had little to no problems with each other. Of course he would shock me out of anger or happiness from time to time, but other than that, we got along really well. And he became one of my strongest Pokemon." Ash explained. Serena picked up Pikachu from the floor and gave him a big hug.

"Thank you for saving him. You are really are a true friend of his. And thank you for being there for him." Serena said to the yellow mouse Pokemon. Pikachu closed his eyes and smiled.

"I couldn't have asked for a better starter Pokemon. He's had my back ever since, and I've had his. I would never want him to evolve to a Raichu, ever." Ash said.

"I wish my bond with Fennekin was as good as yours and Pikachu's." Serena said, looking at the floor.

"Don't worry, that could happen someday." Ash stated.

Serena smiled after Ash said that. She thought that no one had a stronger bond with one of their Pokemon than Ash had with Pikachu. Maybe she could have a good one with Fennekin, but she knew it wouldn't be as good as the duo's. Not one pairing in the rest of the world could rival those two. Ash said he would never want Pikachu to evolve in a Raichu, that is what you call a close bond. Serena wanted to see what kind of bond Ash had with his other Pokemon, so an idea popped in her head.

"Hey Ash?

"Yeah?"

"Remember when I asked if I could meet your other Pokemon last night?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, could you possibly, take me to see them now? If that's alright?"

"Sure. Of course. Let's go." Ash said and grabbed his cap and walked out of his room. He motioned his hand to tell Serena to come along. She put on her boots and hat and walked out with Ash so she could see the Pokemon Ash had caught on his journeys. She was so excited. She was eager to see how Ash felt about his other Pokemon.

The two walked into Professor Oak's lab and went to see if he was around. Of course, he was over at a desk scribbling something down on a notepad. He looked up and saw Ash and Serena walking over to him. He put down his pencil and got up out of his seat.

"Ash, it's great to see you again. And who is this lovely young lady with you?" Professor Oak asked.

"Professor Oak, this is my friend Serena. She just moved here a couple of months ago." Ash answered. Oak held out his hand to welcome the honey blonde.

"Hi, I'm Professor Samuel Oak. It's great to meet you."

"Hi Professor. It's great to meet you as well." Serena greeted while shaking Oak's hand.

"So Ash, what brings you here today?" Oak asked.

"I'd thought I would bring Serena to meet all of my Pokemon. She was hoping to meet them." Ash responded.

"Oh, absolutely. Come with me." Oak started towards where he kept Ash's Pokemon with Ash and Serena following behind. Oak took each Pokeball and told the two to come out back so he could release the Pokemon since it would be too crowded indoors. When they reached the back Oak released each Pokemon with Ash's help. It took them a good two minutes to send each one out. Serena was amazed at all the Pokemon Ash had caught. There were a few she took an immediate interest in: Buizle, Talonflame, and Squirtle.

"Wow Ash! I had no idea you had this many. You must be a busy trainer." Serena stated.

"Have to be busy to become a Pokemon master. I had to learn a lot of training methods for each and every one of them. You'd be surprised to see how each had progressed through the training." Ash explained. Serena found another reason why she liked Ash: He sounded like he never stuck to one thing, he would find different ways to achieve his dream. It's like he would never give up. The fire that drove him to become the trainer he desired to be.

"It's really cool that you learned how to train all of them. It must have not been easy." Serena said.

"It wasn't. I came across something that would improve my Pokemon's performances if I had lost a battle. And it usually would work when I battled that person a second time. I had gone through many gym battles where that happened." Ash explained.

"Seems you've got what it takes. I like your passion. So, these are all the Pokemon you have caught?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. And I will be catching more this summer when I go on my next journey." Ash said.

Oak looked at Ash while he told Serena how his battling style was like. Oak liked Ash's determination as well. Oak was proud to call him the pride of Pallet Town. He wanted to know something, so he called out Ash's name.

"Ash!" Ash looked over at Oak.

"Yeah Professor?"

"Could you come over for a sec?"

"Sure!" Ash rushed over to Oak while Serena looked and met each of Ash's Pokemon, taking a fondness to each one.

"Okay, Oak, what do you want to know?"

"Is she the friend you had dinner with last night?" Oak whispered so Serena wouldn't hear.

"Yeah, she's the one. She even spent the night with me last night."

"She seems like a very charming lady. Are you good friends with her?"

"We're great friends. I've been helping her out with school and have hung out with her every Saturday since she moved here." Ash replied.

"Is she your girlfriend by any chance?" This question surprised Ash as his eyes widened. He jumped slightly when Oak asked the question. Ash blushed a bright pink.

"Uh, no Professor, she is just a friend." Ash answered.

"Come on Ash, don't lie to me. You can tell me the truth."

"She's not my girlfriend. She's just a really great friend."

"Could she be your best friend?" This calmed Ash down a bit.

"Well, yeah, I could consider that. We do seem to have that kind of friendship."

"So basically, besides Pikachu, she's your best friend?"

"Yeah, technically. I mean, she is always looking forward to our Saturdays together. I guess she could be." Ash explained. Oak's smile remained on his face.

"And another reason is that she is really the only person you've brought over here to see your Pokemon. That has to mean something." Oak stated. Serena walked over to Ash and Oak with Fennekin walking right by her. She had Buizle in her arms.

"Ash, I love your Buizle. He is such a cutie pie." Serena said cheerfully. "So what are you guys talking about?"

"Oh, we were actually talking about you." Ash responded.

"Really? Like what did you say?" Serena asked.

"Just taking about how we were always hanging out and what we do at school." Oak looked at Fennekin that was standing next to Serena's feet.

"Who's this little one?" Oak asked, pointing at the fox Pokemon.

"Oh, this is my Pokemon, Fennekin. She was the first Pokemon I obtained back in Kalos." Serena replied.

"So you used to live in Kalos?"

"Yeah. I lived there for a few years. I lived here in Pallet before then, but my mom and I decided to move back here since I missed living here."

"Ash, you never told me she lived over in Kalos."

"Sorry Professor, must have escaped my mind." Ash said while rubbing the back of his neck. Serena smiled and lightly slapped Ash's shoulder.

A half hour later Ash and Serena decided they would head off. Ash helped Oak put all of Ash's Pokemon back in their Pokeballs before leaving. Ash and Serena thanked the Professor and walked off. The two decided they would go visit the forest, their usual hangout location.

While they were heading towards the forest, Serena thought about what Ash had discussed with Professor Oak about her. Oak must have thought she was a good friend of Ash's. She wondered if Oak thought she was Ash's girlfriend. She shook that question off but not before having a faint pink blush on her face at the thought. Ash meanwhile was thinking over the whole conversation he had with Oak about Serena. Why would Oak think Serena was his girlfriend? He told Oak that they were nothing more than best friends. He didn't hate the idea of Serena ever becoming his girlfriend, but he wasn't the romantic type. He didn't know anything about it, so what would make him a good boyfriend if he knew nothing about romance? He decided not to ponder on it for too long and went back to what the two were going to do today. Ash had already thought about what he would do. He thought about what Serena would think when he showed her where he was taking her. Where he was taking her wasn't a place he really had a fancy for, but he thought about Serena, she probably would like it.

"Hey, I have a spot that I'd like to take you to. I think you might like it." Ash said. Serena looked at him.

"You have an idea of where to take me?" Serena asked.

"Of course. I always plan what we are going to do when we get together every Saturday. That way we aren't stuck making a decision." Ash stated.

"You're always prepared aren't you?" Serena asked with a small smile.

"Most definitely. Take my hand and close your eyes. I will lead you there." Serena did as she was told and let Ash take her to where he had planned to.

"What is Ash doing? Why is he doing this?" Serena thought to herself. To her, Ash was full of surprises. He was doing something for her out of kindness. But thing is, what was he up to? They were walking for a good two minutes before they reached an open clearing.

"Okay, you can open your eyes now." Serena opened her eyes and saw what Ash was about to show her. Her face lit up when she saw a whole field of flowers in front of her. She was speechless, she admired what she saw.

Ash and Serena approached the top of a small hill and stood there, looking at the great view they had.

"What do you think?" Ash said, motioning his arms towards the sight.

"It's really beautiful!" Serena commented, looking at the field of flowers that was in front of them. Ash didn't mind the sight. He wasn't really a person that was interested in looking at a field of flowers but he thought Serena would and that's all he cared about.

"You like it?" Ash asked.

"I love it!" Serena replied. "Thank you for taking me here Ash. It was really thoughtful of you."

"You're welcome. I only brought you here because I thought you would like it." Ash stated. Serena looked at him and smiled. She then threw herself into a hug with him.

"Thank you so much. I couldn't have asked for anything better." Serena exclaimed.

"Well, I thought about you. I didn't really care if I wasn't into this." Ash said.

"You didn't have to. I'm glad you took me here." Serena stated. Ash took a few steps forward.

"Me too. Now that I think about i- WHOA!" Ash said before the ground crumbled beneath him and he started falling down the hill. Serena gasped.

"ASH!" She shouted and she started running after him.

Ash started rolling down after the small part of the hill collapsed on him. The hill was pretty steep so he rolled for a pretty good time. Serena, along with Pikachu and Fennekin, gave pursuit after he fell. He then came to an edge and fell down another part but this one was a little farther down. When he hit the ground he felt a sharp pain but didn't know what it was. He kept rolling for a few more seconds until he reached a flat piece of land, coming to a stop. Serena caught up to him after a few moments. She rushed to his aid.

"Oh my, Ash, are you okay?" Serena asked worriedly. Ash felt a little weak after the fall but managed to nod his head to confirm her concern.

"Yeah, I think I will be alright." Ash responded rather in a raspy tone. Serena wanted to check if he sustained any injury during the fall.

"Does anything feel painful to you? Anything at all?" Serena asked.

"I do feel a little pain in my back, but other than that, nothing really." Ash replied. Serena sighed in relief. She stood back up and offered her hand to help him up. Ash reached out his hand to grab her's but when she attempted to pull him up he shouted in pain and let go of her hand. Serena was startled when Ash winced in pain and bent down to help him out again.

"What's wrong?"

"When you pulled me up my wrist exploded with pain." So that was what the sharp pain was when he fell.

"Oh no. Let me check it." Serena said quietly. She grabbed Ash's left hand and held it up. She took off his glove and placed both her hands on his wrist. She wanted to know where it hurt so she started to press on his wrist to see where it was.

"Let me know where it hurts when I press down on it, okay?" Serena commanded. Ash nodded his head and Serena started to press her thumb down on every spot on his wrist. After checking the front and the back he had no reaction but when she got to the sides, that's where Ash grunted violently.

"Looks like you have a sprain, and it appears to hurt the most in the sides." Ash sighed in frustration.

"Great! Just what I need." Ash complained. Serena let go of his left wrist and went to grab his right hand to help him up. She needed to use all of her strength to pull him up, and Ash needed to use what strength he had in his right hand. It was a difficult task but Ash managed to get up. Serena put her left arm around Ash's back and held his right hand with her own.

"Come on, I'll help you back home. Don't put any pressure on that wrist." Ash understood what she said and started walking.

The two reached Ash's house and went upstairs into Ash's room. Ash told her where the first aid kit was and she went to grab it. Serena returned with the box and sat down on the bed next to Ash. She opened the box and took a wrap out and started unrolling it.

"So you're going to wrap that around my wrist?"

"Yeah. I need to so your wrist can heal properly. Since it's a sprain, it will take a while to heal." Serena answered. Ash sighed. Delia saw what was up and walked into the room.

"What happened?"

"I sprained my wrist after falling down a hill." Delia gasped.

"Oh no honey, are you okay?"

"I'll be fine mom. It's just a sprain, I'll live." Ash replied. Delia walked up to her son to offer help.

"Here, let me help you with that." Delia reached a hand out only for Serena to gently grab it.

"It's okay Mrs. Ketchum, I've got it taken care of." Serena said. Delia immediately retracted her hand, seeing as Serena had the situation under control.

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Delia then smiled at the generosity of the honey blonde girl. She looked like she knew what she was doing as Serena wrapped the bandage around Ash's wrist and then his hand.

"Okay, thank you Serena." Delia said and then exited the room. She was still smiling at the fact that Serena was treating an injury Ash had.

"She will be a good wife to him someday." Delia thought to herself as she walked down the stairs.

Serena had finished wrapping the bandage around Ash's wrist and hand and put a couple of clips on it to make sure it stayed wrapped. When she was finished, she wanted to know if Ash felt any better.

"Does it still hurt?" Serena asked while closing the first aid kit.

"It does, but not as much before. Thank you for bandaging it." Ash thanked.

"You're welcome." Serena responded. "I'm sorry for this happening."

"Why are you sorry? You did nothing wrong." Ash said.

"I know, but it kind of ruined our Saturday pretty quick didn't it?" Serena asked. Ash shook his head.

"Of course not. We've still got a lot of the day left to do whatever. You want to go back to the field?" Ash asked.

"But why? You just hurt your wrist there. Why would you want to go back?" Serena asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's because you didn't get to see it for a good amount of time before I fell. We could go back and watch it again. But a little further from the hill this time." Ash explained. Serena couldn't help but say no, so she nodded her head and got up. She went to the other side of Ash so she could grab his non injured hand. He grabbed it and got up and left the house again. Ash told his mom they were going back before leaving. They took about five minutes to reach the field. They walked up to the hill but stood farther back this time so the same wouldn't happen again. Serena looked at the field that was once again in full view. She loved how breathtakingly beautiful it was and a smile crept across her lips.

"You like it?" Ash asked looking straight ahead.

"I love it!" Serena replied in a cheerful mood.

"I was thinking that if you are ever stressed out from anything, you could come here and relax." Ash suggested.

"That seems like a good idea. I'm constantly stressed from school so I could come here on the walk home to sit back and chill for a few minutes." Serena said.

"That's what I usually do. If you never see me on the walk home from school, I'm probably here." Ash stated. Serena looked at him.

"I thought that you didn't like this sort of thing." Serena said. Ash shrugged his shoulders.

"It's not really the flowers that relax me, it's the wide open space and it's really quiet out here. That is what brings me here." Ash responded.

"This kind of location would be good for something like that. I'm glad you brought me here. Thank you." Serena said. Ash looked at her and smiled and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"You're welcome. This will be our spot. Don't let anybody else know, okay?"

"Okay."

After spending the next hour or so the two decided to head back to Ash's house. The rest of the day was mostly spending time talking about the field. Serena every so often checked Ash's wrist to see how it was. It would take some time before it would be gone, but she was happy she was able to treat it. Night came and the two got into their pajamas. Grace was okay with Serena spending another night at Ash's house and so was Delia. Serena was brushing Fennekin's fur when Ash came back up with two mugs of hot chocolate. He had to be careful with his left wrist to try not to stress it any longer. He handed one of the mugs to Serena who thanked Ash and blew on the hot chocolate to cool it down.

"How's your wrist?"

"It's okay. It isn't hurting right now, so that should be a good sign."

"I hope it doesn't affect your Pokemon battling. That might down you a little." Serena said. Ash shrugged his shoulders.

"Nah. I usually throw my Pokeballs with my right hand anyway. Besides, I don't need my hand to battle." Ash responded.

"Okay, that's good. I'd hate it if you had to stop for a while." Serena commented.

"Don't worry, it's no big deal." Ash replied while taking a drink of cocoa.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"You know how I said that I'm not that good of a battler?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I was thinking, will you teach me how?"

"Sure, I'd love to."

"I just want to know the basics first. I don't ever want to go into a battle at school and have no idea what the heck I am doing." Serena stated.

"I'd be more than happy to teach you. How about we start tomorrow? Is that okay?" Ash asked. Serena smiled and nodded her head.

"Yeah, that would be great!"

Ash then sat down next to Serena on his bed. They watched some tv while sipping on their cocoa. After twenty minutes, Serena began to feel tired. She tilted her head to the side and laid it on Ash's shoulder. When she realized where her head was, she swiftly moved her head off of it. Ash looked at her.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to do that. I'm just feeling a little tired." Serena apologized. Ash however didn't seem bothered by it.

"You can rest your head there. I don't mind." Ash said. Serena was a bit surprised, but she heard what Ash said and laid her head back down on his shoulder. She was happy. Couples did this, didn't they?

After another good forty minutes, Ash was feeling tired. That cocoa must have hit him hard. Serena was fast asleep on his shoulder. He wanted to go to sleep but didn't want to wake her up. So he pulled the covers back and then slowly and gently picked her up and carefully placed her down and pulled the covers over her. He got in after her and pulled the covers over himself. He turned the lamp off that was on his nightstand and drifted off to sleep.

An hour passed and everyone was asleep. But just like the previous night, Serena woke up, but not because of a nightmare. She rubbed her eyes and saw the position she was in. She didn't remember falling asleep like this. Ash must have moved her to this position. She saw Ash sleeping next to her. She couldn't get another wink of sleep. But then she thought of something.

"Maybe I could… well, he won't notice. He's asleep. So I hope this won't jar him awake." Serena thought to herself.

She scooted closer to Ash so she was right next to him. She lifted her left arm out from under the covers and wrapped it around the front of Ash so it looked like they were cuddling. Couples did this too, right? Ash's body heat was enough to make her feel drowsy. She smiled and closed her eyes and went back to sleep. Spending the weekend with Ash has been great. She secretly kissed him, helped him with his injury, and now she was cuddling with him. Nothing could ruin this weekend, nothing.

 **Author's note:** Another good ending if I say so myself. Tough luck with that injury, huh? We're now five chapters into this story, and I think I'm doing well, thanks to all of you. Thanks a lot for giving me a boost to type up these chapters. You all are the reason I want to keep this story going. This story has now surpassed the most reviews out of all my stories with 18. For those of you waiting, here is the preview of the next chapter.

Serena finished putting what she didn't need in her locker and closed it. But when she closed it, someone was standing there. She let out a loud squeak and jumped a little. There was a boy right in front of her. He had blue hair that went down to his shoulders and wore a blue hoodie and black pants.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" The boy asked.

"Kind of. But it's okay." Serena replied while brushing her hair with her hand.

"So I heard that you like Ash." Serena's expression turned into a shocked one.

"Wha? Who told you?" Serena asked.

"Nobody told me. But I did hear you and your friends talking about it a few days back." The boy answered.

"Who are you by the way?" Serena asked.

"My name is Paul." Serena then looked at Paul, her facial expression calming down a bit.

"Well, Paul, just don't tell anyone about it okay?" Serena asked.

"I promise. But why Ash? He's pathetic." Paul stated. Serena then had a look of confusion.

"How is Ash pathetic?"

"Have you seen him battle? He's too predictable. I could easily beat that poser." Paul commented. Serena's look now turned angry.

"Don't you say that about him. Ash is a nice and caring person, and he's a great battler too." Serena said in anger. Paul closed his eyes and smiled and chuckled.

"That's obvious. You love him so you're too blind to see who he really is. Ash is nothing but a lame trainer." Paul said. Serena's blood now began to boil.

"Take… that… back!" Serena growled through gritted teeth.

"And why would I do that? I'm only speaking-"

"HEY PAUL!" A voice shouted. Serena looked behind her and saw Ash standing there, looking pretty angry.

"What do you want Ketchum?" Paul asked while Ash walked up to the two of them.

"You leave Serena alone. I heard what you said about me." Serena then panicked. Did he hear the part where Paul said Serena loved Ash?

"Hear what?"

"Just the last part. When you said I was a lame trainer. That was really all I heard." Ash answered. Serena mentally sighed in relief. That was close.

"Well, you are. You've never won a league." Paul stated.

"Neither have you." Ash hissed.

"That's true, but that's not the point. As a matter of fact, I've beaten you before." Paul said.

"I've beaten you as well. And I beat you where it mattered: The Pokemon league." Ash retorted. A crowd began forming in the hallway.

"So what?" Paul said.

"So what? Really? It's no big deal that I beat you in the Sinnoh league?" Ash shouted.

"Ooooooooooohhhh!" The crowd taunted.

"You had a lucky break. I bet I could beat you right here, right now." Paul stated arrogantly.

"You want to bet?" Ash replied. He clearly was asking for a challenge.

"All right. Why don't we? Outside in the field behind the lunchroom?" Paul suggested.

"You're on!" Ash shouted. Serena, still angered by the comments that Paul made about Ash, wanted to get back at him too. So she stood in front of Ash.

"I want in too!" Serena said. The crowd, even Ash, gasped at Serena's sudden act of toughness.

"Okay, deal! But if you two are battling together, I get to choose someone to battle alongside me as well." Paul stated.

"Take your pick." Ash said angrily. Paul looked around at the crowd. He needed someone that looked like they could give him some help in defeating Ash and Serena. He inspected everybody until he finally decided.

"You!" Paul said, pointing at Miette.

"Me?" Miette asked.

"Her?" Ash and Serena said simultaneously.

"Yeah, you. I'm picking you to battle next to me. Come on!" Paul commanded.

 **Author's note:** Uh oh! Hell's about to break loose! What will happen in the battle? I can hardly wait. Who will win? Paul and Miette? Or Ash and Serena? The answer will be revealed in the next chapter, so until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	6. Learning Some New Skill

**TDBigJ's message:** Hey, what's going on? Nothing much with me. The last week hasn't really been much for me, so I really have nothing to say. So, on to the responding of reviews.

 **Guest #1:** If it's okay with you. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44:** It seems that people are okay with it. I will PM you soon. Thanks for the review!

 **Rams34 (Guest #2):** Maybe, I'll decide later. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #3:** I'm not sure if I can make that work, but I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #4:** I could make that work, but I'll decide later. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #5:** Thanks for the continued support, I will keep up the work. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

The weekend had passed and it was now Monday. Ash was on the path to school. He had a pretty fun time with Serena this weekend. Yesterday he taught her how to battle, but only the basics. He didn't want to go into anything major yet as she still was a beginner. Serena spent the night at his house again last night but went home this morning to get ready for school. She told Ash to go on ahead and she will try to catch up with him. The wrist he injured a couple days ago was still hurting, but he managed. After being on so many journeys he has suffered worse. He entered the school and went to one of the Pokemon nurseries and dropped Pikachu off there.

"Okay buddy, you be good here. I'll come back for you later on or at the end of school. Will you be okay by yourself?" Ash asked his partner. Pikachu nodded his head.

"Pika pika." Pikachu replied. Ash smiled and rubbed Pikachu's head.

"All right buddy. I'll see you later on." Ash told his Pokemon and left to go to his locker to get prepared for the day. It was hard not having Pikachu by his side for a long period of time, but they've been through so much together that it didn't really worry him. Brock then approached him, apparently having arrived.

"Good morning, Ash."

"Morning Brock."

"Anything interesting happen this weekend?"

"Serena and I spent the weekend together. That's pretty much it."

"Ooh, you two hung out?" Brock was trying to playfully tease Ash. Ash took notice of this.

"Brock, what are you trying to do?" Ash asked, turning in Brock's direction.

"Oh nothing. But I heard you two have been doing that a lot recently." Brock said, folding his arms.

"Your point?"

"Seems to me like you've got a girlfriend." Ash jumped when he heard this and his eyes widened.

"Brock, cut it out. It's not like that." Ash replied defensively.

"If you two are always seen together on a constant basis, that could mean only one thing: You two have an interest in each other." Brock explained.

"Brock, just because a boy and a girl are spending a lot of time together doesn't mean that they are dating. Serena is just my best friend, that's it." Ash said. Brock saw what Ash had to say, but he had a point of his own.

"Yeah it couldn't mean that, but it's usually the first thing that comes to mind." Brock pointed out.

"We're just best friends, nothing more." Ash said, calming himself down.

"Okay, okay, I won't bug you about it anymore." Brock said.

"Thank you."

"So what did you two do?"

"I did teach her how to battle, but I didn't do the big stuff."

"That's good. What else?"

"Well, nothing really. But I did injure my hand a couple days ago." Ash said while holding up his left wrist. He had his glove on but the bandage appeared a little below it. Brock quietly gasped at the sprain.

"Oh, what happened?"

"I fell down a hill and landed on top of it. I didn't notice at first but Serena tried to help me get up and that's when I felt it." Ash explained.

"Oh man, that must hurt bad." Brock exclaimed.

"It hurts every now and then, but most of the time I don't feel anything." Ash stated.

"How did you bandage it up?"

"Oh, Serena actually bandaged it up for me." Ash responded.

"She treated your injury? Seems to me like she-"

"Brock, what did you say a minute ago?" Ash said as he gave Brock a serious look. Brock smiled and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Heh heh, almost forgot." Brock said.

"Well, I better be getting to first period. Class starts in five minutes." Brock said and started rushing off.

"Don't forget to drop your Pokemon off in the nursery beforehand." Ash called out to the former gym leader. He closed his locker and headed off as well.

"Man, I know Brock is all about romance, but why does he have to push it on me? I don't need to know at this moment. It's not something I need to worry about." Ash thought to himself as he walked towards first period.

Lunch then came around, Dawn and May were the first ones at the table. Dawn was the first to speak up.

"So, anyone ask you to prom yet?"

"Yeah, actually. There was this boy who asked me last week." May answered.

"What did you say? Do you like him in any way?" Dawn asked.

"I said yes. He seemed very nice and he was pretty nervous when he asked, but I thought he was pretty cute when he did." May explained.

"So you do like him?"

"The thing is, when he asked me, I didn't know him at all. I said I would go with him, but only if he were to get to know me in the meantime. If he didn't then I told him I would change my mind." May said.

"That makes sense."

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to go to prom with someone who I didn't know at all, and vice versa." May stated.

"Has he kept up on his promise?" Dawn asked.

"He has. He's been talking and contacting me every day. But not to an extent to where he's bugging me every minute. He's being very simple about it." May explained.

"Well then, I hope you two have a good time at prom."

"I hope so too. Anyone ask you?"

"Yeah, there's this girl who asked me."

"Girl?"

"Yeah, is that wrong?"

"No, no."

The other three showed up at the table. Dawn and May thought they would include the others in the conversation.

"Hey guys." May greeted.

"Hey." They all said simultaneously.

"Anyone ask you guys to prom yet? Anyone you asked?" May asked.

"No. I'm not sure who I want to go with." Brock answered.

"Not really." Shauna replied.

"I don't know if I want to go." Clemont responded with red cheeks.

May and Dawn had a pretty good idea why the three didn't have dates yet. Brock always flirted with every pretty girl which made them uncomfortable, Shauna had a hard time handling rejections, and Clemont was just too shy on the whole dating thing, panicking whenever a cute girl tried to talk to him.

"You guys will find dates eventually. Don't give up hope yet." Dawn stated, trying to comfort her friends.

"All right." Brock and Shauna said simultaneously. Clemont just moaned and slammed his head down on the table face first. Serena then arrived at the table. She noticed Clemont face down on the table.

"Hey guys. Why so down Clemont? They talking to you about girls again?" Serena asked.

"No Serena, I just thought that I would see what the table tastes like. What do you think?" Clemont groaned sarcastically.

"Okay?" Serena said, raising an eyebrow at Clemont's remark.

"We were just talking about prom. Have you asked Ash yet?" May asked. Serena shook her head.

"No. I still don't think it's time yet."

"Serena, it's been two months since you moved here and a month since this whole prom thing started. How could you not be ready?" May asked.

"I'm just not emotionally ready. I mean, what if he says no?" Serena asked.

"You really think he is going to say no?" Shauna asked. Serena realized what she just said. It was kind of a stupid point.

"Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't have said that." Serena stated, turning her face forward.

"When was the last time you saw him?" Dawn asked.

"This morning. We spent the whole weekend together." Serena answered. Dawn and Shauna put a hand on their faces. They had a look of disappointment.

"You spent the whole weekend together and you didn't even bother to ask him once?" Dawn asked with a surprised look.

"It didn't come across my mind. I didn't want to bother him with it." Serena stated.

"Two days where you had a chance, you could have taken it. Why didn't you?" Shauna asked. Serena was starting to feel a little irritated. They were now beginning to go too far with this whole prom subject. She stood up out of her seat with her hands flat on the table and looked at all of them with an annoyed expression.

"Look guys, this isn't your problem. I should ask Ash when I feel comfortable. This is something that I have to decide. You guys worry about getting your own dates, don't put any pressure on me to get my own. I will ask Ash when I think it's the right time. Now let it go." Serena said angrily. She let out her thoughts to the whole group. They were all pretty surprised that Serena had said it like that to them. She grabbed her binder and turned around and started walking away. She needed to get away from them for a few minutes. The looks on their faces remained there for a good minute.

"You know, she did have a point." Shauna said.

"Yeah, we have been bugging her quite a bit about it." Brock stated.

"Maybe we should leave it to her, like she said." Dawn said.

Serena had walked through the hallways to find a corner where she could be alone. She needed to chill from what happened just now. She loved her friends but this was the only thing they would talk to her about whenever they saw her. It was becoming too much. She thought about what she said. She did want to ask Ash on her own terms. She did know that if she missed out that it would be on her.

Ash stopped at the bathroom to wash his hands before heading off to lunch. The last class took a toll on him. He was a smart kid but just like everybody else not everything was easy. He left the bathroom, placing his binder under his right arm and started putting his gloves back on. He rubbed the front of his face in exhaustion and sighed. At least it was lunch, he had a thirty five minute break from all that overbearing work. He saw his friends at their usual table and walked over.

"Sup guys?" Ash greeted.

"Hey Ash."

When Ash sat down, the five of them remembered the conversation they just had with Serena a few minutes ago and decided to refrain from asking anything about prom with him. Ash rubbed his face again.

"Tired?" May asked.

"Not really. That last class was hell though. You know, only a month of school is left so these teachers are trying to give us as much work as they can." Ash said.

"I hear that." Brock said, agreeing with Ash's point.

"It bothers me none." Clemont said.

"Well Clemont, you're a freaking genius so I can see why." Brock retorted.

"I wouldn't say I'm a genius. I'm just 16." Clemont replied.

"What's your IQ?"

"I don't know. I've never taken an IQ test before." Clemont answered.

"So how was your weekend Ash?" Dawn asked.

"Great. It was pretty fun. Spent it with Serena." Ash responded.

"So we've heard." Shauna said. Ash looked at her with a confused look.

"Huh?"

"Serena was here a few minutes ago. But she walked off after we talked to her."

"Why did she leave?" They all looked at each other, hoping one of them would come up with something.

"Uh, she had to do something." May answered.

"What?"

"I don't know. She didn't say." Ash wished he knew why, but he decided that it was none of his business and let it go.

"I'm going to go grab a snack and a drink and take it to her. She would probably want something." Ash said and got up and went over to do so.

Serena stood in a corner of a hallway by herself. Luckily no one was passing by and noticed her. She had been reflecting on what was just discussed. She then straightened herself out and decided to go back to her locker. No one was still in the hallway when she reached it. She entered her combination and opened it. She took the handheld mirror that was sitting in it and inspected herself. She brushed her hair with her right hand. She then put the mirror back down and started preparing for her next class. The next period didn't start for another fifteen minutes but it was good to get a head start.

Serena finished putting what she didn't need in her locker and closed it. But when she closed it, someone was standing there. She let out a loud squeak and jumped a little. There was a boy right in front of her. He had blue hair that went down to his shoulders and wore a blue hoodie and black pants.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" The boy asked.

"Kind of. But it's okay." Serena replied while brushing her hair with her hand.

"So I heard that you like Ash." Serena's expression turned into a shocked one.

"Wha? Who told you?" Serena asked.

"Nobody told me. But I did hear you and your friends talking about it a few days back." The boy answered.

"Who are you by the way?" Serena asked.

"My name is Paul." Serena then looked at Paul, her facial expression calming down a bit.

"Well, Paul, just don't tell anyone about it okay?" Serena asked.

"I promise. But why Ash? He's pathetic." Paul stated. Serena then had a look of confusion.

"How is Ash pathetic?"

"Have you seen him battle? He's too predictable. I could easily beat that poser." Paul commented. Serena's look now turned angry.

"Don't you say that about him. Ash is a nice and caring person, and he's a great battler too." Serena said in anger. Paul closed his eyes and smiled and chuckled.

"That's obvious. You love him so you're too blind to see who he really is. Ash is nothing but a lame trainer." Paul said. Serena's blood now began to boil.

"Take… that… back!" Serena growled through gritted teeth.

"And why would I do that? I'm only speaking-"

"HEY PAUL!" A voice shouted. Serena looked behind her and saw Ash standing there, looking pretty angry.

"What do you want Ketchum?" Paul asked while Ash walked up to the two of them.

"You leave Serena alone. I heard what you said about me." Serena then panicked. Did he hear the part where Paul said Serena loved Ash?

"Hear what?"

"Just the last part. When you said I was a lame trainer. That was really all I heard." Ash answered. Serena mentally sighed in relief. That was close.

"Well, you are. You've never won a league." Paul stated.

"Neither have you." Ash hissed.

"That's true, but that's not the point. As a matter of fact, I've beaten you before." Paul said.

"I've beaten you as well. And I beat you where it mattered: The Pokemon league." Ash retorted. A crowd began forming in the hallway.

"So what?" Paul said.

"So what? Really? It's no big deal that I beat you in the Sinnoh league?" Ash shouted.

"Ooooooooooohhhh!" The crowd taunted.

"You had a lucky break. I bet I could beat you right here, right now." Paul stated arrogantly.

"You want to bet?" Ash replied. He clearly was asking for a challenge.

"All right. Why don't we? Outside in the field behind the lunchroom?" Paul suggested.

"You're on!" Ash shouted. Serena, still angered by the comments that Paul made about Ash, wanted to get back at him too. So she stood in front of Ash.

"I want in too!" Serena said. The crowd, even Ash, gasped at Serena's sudden act of toughness.

"Okay, deal! But if you two are battling together, I get to choose someone to battle alongside me as well." Paul stated.

"Take your pick." Ash said angrily. Paul looked around at the crowd. He needed someone that looked like they could give him some help in defeating Ash and Serena. He inspected everybody until he finally decided.

"You!" Paul said, pointing at Miette.

"Me?" Miette asked.

"Her?" Ash and Serena said simultaneously.

"Yeah, you. I'm picking you to battle next to me. Come on!" Paul commanded.

"Oh, okay." Miette said and started walking towards Paul.

"Her? Really? It had to be Miette. Why out of everybody did he choose her? My day is already as bad as it is." Serena thought to herself. She covered her face with her hand. She felt Ash touch her shoulder and looked over at him. Ash's face then turned into a confident one as he smiled.

"Let's go get them." Serena's face lit up a little. Ash's determination brought up her spirits. Ash turned back at Paul.

"So what are the rules of the battle?" Paul went into deep thought. After a few seconds, he looked back at Ash.

"Okay, here's the deal. We only use one Pokemon each. It can be whatever Pokemon you choose."

"Actually, I think it should be a low level Pokemon. Just to be fair. We wouldn't want this to be a wipeout of a battle." Ash suggested. Paul hesitated at first, but nodded his head.

"When I mean low level, I mean a Pokemon that is at least in it's first or second evolved stage, but forget about their final evolution phase."

"Okay, I understand. First side to have both of their Pokemon unable to battle will win. Seem fair enough?"

"Yeah."

"Okay then, let's battle."

The four of them went to go fetch their Pokemon from one of the nurseries in the school. The crowd of students followed behind them, eagerly waiting to see the battle. Ash of course chose Pikachu, Serena only had Fennekin so she stuck with her, Paul chose Gastrodon, and Miette chose none other than Slurpuff. They went to the field from behind the lunchroom to commence their battle. Brock was there to officiate. He said the usual words to begin a fight.

"This is a tag team match. The side with the last Pokemon standing wins. You can only attack one Pokemon at a time. Are both sides ready?" Brock asked, pointing towards Ash and Serena, who nodded their heads, then he pointed to Paul and Miette, who did the same.

"And… begin!"

"All right Pikachu, start off with quick attack." Ash commanded. Pikachu charged rapidly at Gastrodon.

"Gastrodon, dodge and use mud sport." Paul commanded. Gastrodon dodged and threw a mud sport at Pikachu. It missed Pikachu so Pikachu had a chance to attack. Ash knew Gastrodon was immune to electric types, so he had to use some of Pikachu's non electric moves to defeat it.

"Pikachu, use quick attack again." Pikachu charged again at Gastrodon, landing a direct hit.

"Okay, Gastrodon, use body slam." Gastrodon then flew and slammed into Pikachu, knocking him back. Pikachu seemed a little hurt, but shook it off. Meanwhile, on the girls side, nothing had happened yet. Serena thought she would start an attack of her own.

"Okay, Fennekin, use scratch!" Fennekin ran at Slurpuff and used it's scratch attack and landed a hit.

"Slurpuff, use psychic!" Slurpuff used it's Psychic on Fennekin and slammed it into the ground. Fennekin seemed a little shaken but stood back up.

"Use ember Fennekin!" Fennekin shot flames out of it's mouth.

"Slurpuff, dodge and use psychic again." Slurpuff moved out of the way of the ember and used it's psychic on Fennekin once more. Fennekin was once again thrown to the ground, a little more hurt this time.

On Ash and Paul's side, they each landed a few more hits on each other's Pokemon. Both were seeming to slow down a bit.

"Okay, Pikachu, now use iron tail." Pikachu jumped in the air and landed a nasty iron tail on Gastrodon. Gastrodon was a little slow to get up, but did eventually.

"Gastrodon, use mud shot." Gastrodon shot it's attack at Pikachu and it collided with the yellow mouse Pokemon. Pikachu seemed more shaken. The others were watching from the side. They were surprised how this battle was going.

"They all seem to be determined to win this battle." Dawn stated.

"Ash and Paul's side of the battle seems to be heating up. Both of their Pokemon seem to be wearing down a little bit." May said.

"I hope Ash and Serena win. They shouldn't let someone like Paul get away with what he said." Shauna said.

Both sides Pokemon seemed to be wearing down, Pikachu and Gastrodon were almost down to their last breaths, as were Fennekin and Slurpuff. Ash looked at Paul.

"Had enough?"

"Nah. You?"

"Not even close. I have one last move to use."

"Then give it your best shot!"

"Pikachu, use iron tail one last time." Ash commanded. On Miette and Serena's side, both were giving each other intense stares.

"Got anything left?" Miette asked.

"Probably. You ready for it?" Serena replied.

"Go for it!"

"Okay, Fennekin, use flamethrower." Fennekin jumped in the air and let out a powerful flamethrower attack.

Both attack hit their mark, resulting in a loud collision. A cloud of dust erupted in the air. When it cleared, Pikachu and Fennekin were still standing, while Gastrodon and Slurpuff fell to the ground with spirals in their eyes, signaling the end of the battle.

"Gastrodon and Slurpuff are unable to battle. Pikachu and Fennekin win. That means Ash and Serena win this battle." Brock announced. The crowd around them cheered.

"All right!"Ash shouted in happiness. Serena cuffed her hands over her mouth. She had just won a battle, against her rival and Ash's. She looked over at Miette, who just looked back at her and closed her eyes and smiled. Paul had that same look he always has.

"We did it! That was great!" Ash said to Serena, putting a hand on her shoulder after the victory. Serena threw herself into a hug with Ash. Their friends looked at them and smiled, for the reason you know. After they split from the hug, Ash walked over to Paul, looking straight at him.

"Am I a lame trainer now?" Ash asked. Paul just turned around and closed his eyes.

"Win a league and we'll talk." Paul replied and started walking away. Ash apparently noticed that Paul still wasn't convinced that was he was a great trainer. But he knew that he didn't need Paul's opinion, there were other people who would believe otherwise. Pikachu climbed up onto Ash's shoulder. Ash patted his partner on the head.

"Let's go get you healed up, buddy."

Ash started walking to the nursery he had been keeping Pikachu in. Serena picked up Fennekin and went to do so as well. She started walking to the nursery as well until Miette stopped her.

"Good battle. I never would have expected you to do that well."

"Uh, thanks, you too. Ash taught me a little yesterday so I learned some of the easy stuff."

"Speaking of Ash, have you asked him yet?" Serena jumped a little. Of course Miette was going to bring this up.

"Not yet. But please don't pressure me. I will ask him eventually." Serena pleaded.

"Okay, but be quick. Because if you don't…" Miette leaned in closer to Serena. "I will." Miette backed off and walked away. Serena moaned and shuddered. She returned to walking back to the nursery.

Ash walked into the nursery and handed Pikachu to the nurse to get him healed. Serena walked in with Fennekin and put her back in her Pokeball and handed her Pokemon to the nurse as well.

"Hey, that was some pretty good battling. You did well for a beginner." Ash commented.

"Hey, I can't take all the credit. You were incredible out there."

"Thanks. You did learn something out there. Maybe one day you could be a great battler as well."

"Maybe. Unless I find something else." Serena said.

"Do what you want. It's your decision." Ash replied.

The nurse handed Pikachu and Fennekin back to their respective owners, who thanked her in return.

"Well, I got to get back to class. It starts in a few minutes. See you later." Ash said.

"Okay. See you."

A couple hours later after school, Ash was laying on his bed at home. He thought about what Paul said before the battle. Paul had the nerve to say that, especially to Serena. Ash noticed Serena was angry before he heard Paul's remark. Paul needed to get over the fact that Ash wasn't the perfect trainer. Sure he's never won a league but that doesn't necessarily mean he was horrible, look at what he's accomplished in his journey other than that: Orange League, Battle Frontier, those were the big ones. Sure, the Orange League isn't an official league but at least he conquered it. He felt proud after that day. The Battle Frontier wasn't easy to beat either, but he conquered that as well. He was even offered to be a Frontier Brain afterwards. Besides never winning an official league, Ash felt very proud of what other things he's achieved throughout his journeys.

"What makes Paul think he can get away with saying that? I believe I can become what I desire to be, and others would back me up." Ash said to himself. He got up and walked over to his computer and brought up the internet. He looked at the Pokemon league openings this summer. He smiled after looking at it, fire burning inside him, determination building up in his mind.

"I'm going to do my very best in the next region. And I hope that I will finally win a league for the first time. Let Paul think about that." Ash said out loud. When the summer came around, he was sure he could succeed. Believe that!

 **Author's note:** Well, that wraps up chapter 6. That was a bit hard for me, especially the battle scene. I've never written a battle before, so if I made any mistakes, I'm sorry, I will do better next time. I have something special planned for the next chapter. What is it that you ask? Well, the preview will probably leave a hint of what will.

Ash was walking to the fair that he and all his friends were going to attend tonight. Brock and Dawn found out about it a couple days ago and invited him and the others. Ash needed some fun outside of school. Sure he hung out with Serena every weekend but something else wouldn't hurt. He got a text from Clemont.

" _You coming? May, Shauna, and I are already here."_

" **Yeah, I'm on my way."**

" _Okay, but hurry it up."_

" **Cool your jets, I will be there in a few minutes."**

Ash put his phone back in his pocket. It was six in the evening. A little late for a fair, but he didn't care. His phone started ringing, he took it out and it was none other than Serena.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, I'm just going to be a little late. I just left."

"Don't worry, we'll wait for you." Ash said.

"You guys can start without me. It won't bother me." Serena said from the other side of the line.

"I'll wait. That won't bother me either."

"Okay, thanks. See you there."

Ash hung up his phone. The others probably would go on and start, but he was willing to wait. Little did he know that he would do something that night that would change the dynamic of their friendship.

 **Author's note:** What is going to happen at the fair? What is Ash going to do? I have a pretty good idea of what will happen. So, if you want to find out, wait until the next chapter. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	7. Where Things Will Go From Here

**TDBigJ's message:** What goes on? I want to thank you all for keeping up the support for this story. It got another few favorites and follows in the last week. This story now officially has over twenty followers and just a bit over ten favorites. You all give me so much inspiration to keep this story going along. And thanks to you who have been reading this since the start. With that being said, let's get on to the responding of reviews, as usual, if you want to get to the chapter, just scroll past these.

 **Wolves22 (Guest #1):** Yes. We will meet May and Dawn's love interests. I have it planned out for the next few chapters. Dawn may kiss her love interest, I'm considering it. Will Serena kiss Ash? I have an idea when it will happen but it won't be for a while. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44:** Glad you thought the chapter went well. And the suggestion, that actually is not a bad idea. I will put it into consideration. I appreciate the support since the first chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Magic5 (Guest #2):** I don't plan on changing the rating to M, as there isn't much content in this story that makes it seem like I could change it to an M rating. I like the idea of putting Bonnie in this story. I actually plan on putting other characters in this story. That last part, maybe I could do that, I'll put some thought into it. Thanks for the review!

 **76ers (Guest #3):** I'm not sure if I can fit that into this story, but I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #4:** I will keep up the Serena and Ash shipping work and continue being a proud amourshipper. I appreciate the support you've given me since chapter 1. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

In the text conversation, Ash dialogue will be _italics_ while Serena's will be in **bold**.

"Okay, Pikachu, use iron tail on that rock!" Ash commanded and Pikachu charged at the rock in front of him and jumped in the air, his tail flashing silver. He descended and hit the rock with a crushing impact, shattering the rock and sending pieces of the rock skyrocketing in the air. Pikachu landed on the ground, still in his battle stance.

"Good job, Pikachu! That was great!" Ash congratulated. Pikachu replied with a smile and electricity emanating from his cheeks.

"All right buddy, that should be enough training for today." Pikachu trotted over to Ash after he said this. Ash started walking inside his house with Pikachu following close behind him. He went into the living room, took off his hat, and fell face first onto the couch while Pikachu climbed onto the top of the couch and looked down at his trainer. Delia noticed her son when he came in.

"Exhausted honey?"

"Nah, just need to rest for a second."

It was five thirty in the evening. Ash had been training with Pikachu ever since he got home from school, which was three hours ago. Delia admitted that her son did train to an extent, but if it was to achieve his dream, she wouldn't complain about it.

"Dinner should be ready in twenty minutes, so make sure you clean up before then." Delia said.

"Will do, mom." Ash replied, his face buried deep within the couch.

Delia went to turn on the front porch lights while Ash calmed himself on the couch. She went outside after turning them on to watch the sun set. From the corner of her eye, she saw Brock walking up to the house.

"Oh hey, Brock. What brings you here?

"Nothing much, just wanted to ask Ash something. Is he home?"

"Yeah, he is. Come on in. He's on the couch."

Delia opened the door and let Brock in. Brock walked into the living room to see Ash there lying on the couch.

"Hey Ash, so how does the couch taste?"

"Not bad but I wouldn't recommend it." Brock chuckled at Ash's remark. Ash sat up to see his friend. "What's up?"

Brock took a seat on the couch next to Ash. Pikachu moved over on the top of the couch so he was on the other side of Ash's head.

"I just came by to ask you something." Brock stated.

"What is it?" Ash asked, rubbing his eye.

"The others and I are going to the fair tomorrow, I thought you would like to join us. Does that sound good?" Brock asked.

"Yeah, that sounds pretty good. I'm in." Ash responded.

"All right. Looks like a plan."

"Can Serena come too? I'm pretty sure she would enjoy it as well."

"Yeah, no problem. I was planning on letting her come too."

"Okay, cool."

"I'm going to get going. I'll see you tomorrow then." Brock said as he got up from the couch.

"All right man." Ash replied. Delia heard their conversation and wanted to ask the spiky haired boy something.

"Actually Brock, why don't you stay for dinner. Is that okay with you?" Delia asked.

"Oh sure. But I will need to tell my folks though, just so they know what I'm doing." Brock stated.

Brock went to the house phone to contact his parents that he was staying at Ash's for dinner. Ash went to the back door and looked outside. The sky was slowly turning from a shade of light blue to a darker tint. Pikachu climbed up onto his shoulder and looked at it as well.

"You like the sight buddy?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pika!" The yellow mouse replied. The two stared at the horizon for a few more seconds until Brock surprised Ash by swiftly patting his hands on Ash's arms. Ash turned around quickly when he felt it. Brock menacingly chuckled in a joking fashion.

"Geez dude! You scared the crap out of me." Ash said.

"Good, I was aiming for that." Brock joked.

"Yeah, yeah, ha ha!" Ash retorted, rolling his eyes. Brock grabbed Ash in a headlock and patted his chest.

"I'm just playing with you man." Brock said.

"Yeah, I know." Ash replied.

After the little teasing, the two, plus Pikachu went to sit down on the couch. The tv was on so they watched that for a moment. It was quiet for that time.

"Prom is in a couple weeks. You have a date yet?" Brock asked.

"Nope. No girl has asked me yet." Ash responded.

"You know, you can just go up to a girl and ask her." Brock stated.

"There really aren't any girls I have feelings for that I could take." Ash said.

"She doesn't have to be a girl you have feelings for, she can be just a friend."

"Well, every one of my female friends has a date."

"What about Serena?"

"Maybe. But I will probably be really uncomfortable around her when I try to ask." Ash said.

"Don't be too stressed, man. It is really easy." Brock stated.

"It's never too easy to ask out a girl, Brock."

"It's easy for me."

"That's because you try to flirt with every beautiful girl you see. But does it ever work out?" Ash stated.

"No, but that's not enough to make me stop. One of them is bound to say yes." Brock said.

"Face it Brock, I'm not the kind of person that is very calm around cute girls." Ash stated.

"You saying that Serena is cute?" A red blush appeared on Ash's face.

"Brock, that is not what I'm trying to say." Ash replied in a panicking tone.

"Oh so you do?"

"No!"

"The red blush on your face and quick denial proves otherwise."

"Brock, we're just best friends, that's it."

"Okay, but I bet you do think she's pretty." Brock teased.

"Well, she's definitely not ugly." Ash stated.

"So you do admit it?"

"Fine, she's pretty. You happy?"

"It doesn't have to embarrassing to say it Ash."

"Yeah Brock, I get it. Now can we please get off the subject?" Ash asked.

"All right man, if it's making you uncomfortable, I will stop." Brock said.

Delia called out to the two of them and said it was time for dinner. Ash and Brock each got a plate of food. They went back into the living room and started eating. Brock thought he would bring up the subject of the upcoming summer.

"Less than a month until we go on our next journey. You ready?"

"You bet. I was training Pikachu outside not too long ago to prepare for it."

"Good to know that you are getting some work in beforehand. Wouldn't want to go in not knowing what to do." Brock stated.

"Brock, I always go into a new region knowing what to do. How long have I been going on journeys?" Ash asked. Brock saw that Ash had a point, but he had a point of his own.

"You're right, but right when you arrive in a new region, you always want to go straight into a gym battle." Brock said.

"Well, yeah, I need to get started immediately. How else am I going to get into the Pokemon league?" Ash questioned.

"You've got all the time in the world to get the badges. It's not like the Pokemon league is in three weeks when you start in a new region." Brock remarked. It was now Ash's turn to see who had a point.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But I always take the time to train my Pokemon before a gym battle. Isn't that right?"

"That's correct. And your training methods are pretty incredible. Every now and then you seem to find a new way to train your Pokemon. And I have to admit it's not like anything I've seen before, and in a good way." Brock commented. Ash looked at Brock with a smile.

"Thanks man. That means something."

"Ash, I believe you will become a Pokemon master someday. I've never doubted you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. No doubt."

Ash really had the backing of his friends. He couldn't have asked for better people to be acquainted with. Ash thought back when he first traveled his home region.

"Remember when we had our gym battle?"

"Yeah. We never finished our battle because you didn't want to win it unfairly because how the ceiling sprinklers in my gym went off. But despite that, I gave you a badge anyway." Brock explained.

"Yeah. Kind of weird wasn't it?" Ash asked.

"Yeah. At that time I wasn't convinced you would be Pokemon master, especially since you got the badge at Misty's gym the same way." Brock stated.

"It seems that I wasn't completely the trainer then than I am now. Most of the badges I got here in Kanto were given to me out of gratitude. The only ones that I obtained legitimately were the thunder badge and the volcano badge, and yet those were one on one battles." Ash explained. Brock remembered the time he traveled with Ash here in the Kanto region. That was true that all but two of his badges weren't won because he beat the gym leader, but because he did something that made them consider he had done enough to deserve it. When Ash traveled in the other regions, he obtained all his gym badges legitimately. So Ash must have learned a lot after Kanto.

"What about the gym battle against Team Rocket?" Brock asked.

"I don't know. Would you consider that a victory?" Ash asked.

"I probably would. You did send them blasting off afterwards, after they were so reluctant to give you the badge. That was a good victory. I even heard Gary say that you were a pretty good trainer after that." Brock stated.

"Gary did? I thought he didn't like me at the time." Ash said.

"He may have been your rival, but he did have good things to say to you from time to time." Brock remarked.

"Yeah, I think he gave me a lot more respect after I beat him in the Johto league. He and I weren't really rivals after that anymore."

"After Kanto, you started getting better. There was never another badge you didn't get legitimately." Brock stated.

"How about the Dynamo badge in Hoenn? I feel like I didn't deserve that one." Ash said.

"How come?"

"Because Pikachu's thunderbolts were supercharged after attacking that robotic Raikou that he took out all three of Wattson's Pokemon with one hit each." Ash explained.

"But he let you keep the badge regardless. You still technically beat him." Brock mentioned.

"I guess, I shouldn't really complain about it."

"I can't wait until our next journey in less than a month." Brock said. But he realized that he might have been the only one Ash asked to accompany him when that time came around. He thought he would ask him if there was anyone else in mind.

"Hey Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Is there anyone else coming along with us on our journey next month? Besides you and me?"

"Yeah, I invited Serena since she hasn't really been on a journey of her own."

"You invited her? I'm not sure if I should be surprised." Ash looked at Brock with a confused look.

"What do you mean?"

"You've been hanging out with her a lot since she moved here, but she isn't really a trainer. So I don't really know what to say."

"Maybe when we're on our journey she can find out what she wants to do. I'm pretty sure there will be something that she can pursue." Ash stated.

"Good point."

The two finished up their dinner and put their plates in the sink. Brock had to go back home so his family wouldn't worry about him. He walked out the front door and started his way.

"Bye Ash. I'll see you tomorrow." Brock called, waving his hand goodbye while Ash waved in return.

"See you then." After Brock had left his field of sight, Ash walked back inside. He realized the visit to the fair Brock invited him tomorrow. He went upstairs into his room and grabbed his phone to text Serena to see if she wanted to come along.

" _Hey Serena. It's Ash."_

" **Hey Ash. What's up?"**

" _Brock invited me and the others to the fair tomorrow. I was wondering if you wanted to come as well. You up for it?"_

" **Sure! That sounds great? What time?"**

" _About six."_

" **Okay. Good. I will make sure to be there."**

" _See you then."_

Ash put his phone down. He stretched his legs out on his bed after kicking off his shoes. He sat back while clasping his hands together. He thought about what Brock said about the beginning of his journey here in Kanto. It was hard to admit that at the time he wasn't that great of a trainer. But at the same time he was only beginning his journey so he didn't really have that much experience. But did that really matter? Gary started his journey at the same time he did, and he obtained all his badges legitimately. That didn't matter now though. He was a far better trainer than when he started and his battling techniques were improving with every journey he took. He had to take stepping stones all the time to become the trainer he set out to become. He had good friends to back him up along the way. They all believed he would become the world's greatest Pokemon master. He laid back in his bed and closed his eyes. He had tomorrow to look forward to. It was going to be Saturday and he got to hang out with all his friends this time.

Saturday came and it was 5:30 in the evening. Ash was getting ready to go to the fair with his friends. He was straightening his hat out in front of his bathroom mirror. He didn't need to dress up. It was just a fair after all. After he finished, he grabbed his phone and motioned for Pikachu to come along and closed the door once he was out. He went downstairs and towards the front door. Delia took notice and wanted to make sure he was okay before going.

"You got everything you need?"

"Yes mom."

"Just stay out of trouble and make it home safely. I don't care when you get home just get back alive."

"Okay mom."

"All right. Have fun."

After she said that Ash walked out the front door and started his trek to the fair. It was only about twenty minutes away so it wasn't that far of a walk. Ten minutes later, he thought he would check the time just so he wouldn't be late. His friends probably wouldn't care but he wanted to be punctual anyway.

Ash put his phone back in his pocket. It was six in the evening. A little late for a fair, but he didn't care. His phone started ringing, he took it out and it was none other than Serena.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, I'm just going to be a little late. I just left."

"Don't worry, we'll wait for you." Ash said.

"You guys can start without me. It won't bother me." Serena said from the other side of the line.

"I'll wait. That won't bother me either."

"Okay, thanks. See you there."

Ash hung up his phone. The others probably would go on and start, but he was willing to wait. Little did he know that he would do something that night that would change the dynamic of their friendship.

Ash soon arrived at the fair. Everyone was there so he must have been the last one, unless you count Serena. Dawn saw Ash approaching them and waved.

"Hey Ash, over here." Ash saw them and walked over. The others were wondering were Serena was.

"Where's Serena at?" Clemont asked.

"She's on her way. She said she would be a little late." Ash responded.

"Should we wait on her?" May asked.

"She said you guys can go right on ahead. She won't mind." Ash answered.

"You sure?"

"Yeah, just go on ahead." The others heard what Ash said and went to go do their own thing. Dawn went with May, and Clemont went with Brock and Shauna. They noticed Ash wasn't coming along and turned around.

"You coming Ash?" Brock asked.

"I'll just stay here and wait for Serena. Just to make sure she gets here okay." Ash replied. The others went back to what they were doing. May whispered something to Dawn as they walked away.

"I bet he's really starting to like her." Dawn giggled when she heard this. It was a good thing that Ash didn't hear.

Ash stood there waiting for a good five minutes. He took out his phone to check the time. It read 5:58. She wasn't late. But it's been a while since he called her to see where she was.

"Where could she be?" Ash looked off into the distance. But then his vision went dark as a pair of hands covered his eyes.

"Guess who?" It appeared to be a female's voice. Ash turned around after the person uncovered his eyes. It was none other than Serena.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" Ash asked while letting out a few chuckles.

"Thought I might play with you a little." Serena responded while giggling. The giggling then turned into a laugh as Ash started to laugh.

"Yeah, you're very funny." Ash remarked jokingly.

"Oh come on. Have some fun once in a while." Serena said as she grabbed the sides of his head and shook it.

"Okay, now that you're here, what do you want to do?" Ash asked.

"I'm not sure. Let's look around and see what there is." Serena suggested. Ash accepted and they started to walk around.

Meanwhile, with Brock, Clemont, and Shauna, they were looking for their first activity to do as well. Brock spotted a ball tossing game where you have to knock down all the bottles to win. The three accepted and went over to play. Brock decided to go. The vendor handed him the balls and Brock picked one up.

"I'm very good at this. I used to play this all the time." Brock stated.

"Take your best shot." Shauna commented. Brock took aim for his first shot. Once he had a clear aim, he threw the ball. But he totally missed and it ricocheted off the wall of the booth and hit Clemont straight in the gut. Clemont held his stomach in pain. Shauna tended to him after he got hit.

"You okay, Clemont?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It kind of hurt though."

"Sorry about that Clemont. Must of misaimed." Brock apologized.

"It's okay. No big deal. You didn't mean to." Clemont replied. Brock turned back around and picked up another ball. He took better focus on his next shot. Once he had the target he wanted, he pulled his arm back and gave the ball a good throw, but once again, it missed and ricocheted off the wall and this time, hit Clemont right in the place where the sun don't shine. Clemont held his hands in the unmentionable place and took one knee on the ground, trying to hold back a whimper. Shauna tended to him once again.

"Oh my gosh, Clemont. Are you all right?"

"Mmhm!" Clemont answered, trying to keep in the pain and anguish. Shauna looked back at Brock.

"How long has it been since you've played this?" Shauna asked the former gym leader. Brock took a sigh.

"It's been a while." Brock responded, turning his head the other way.

At the moment, Ash and Serena were looking for something to do themselves. They've been looking for about ten minutes but nothing piqued their interest.

"You see anything you want to do?" Ash asked.

"No, not really. You?" Serena replied.

"No."

Man, this place wasn't looking like it was a fun place. Until something caught Ash's eye.

"Isn't that a fun house?" Ash asked while pointing at a big house structure.

"Yeah, I think it is." Serena answered.

"Is that the attraction that has the mirrors that make you look funny?" Ash asked. Serena nodded her head.

"It certainly is."

"You want to go in? I've always liked seeing myself in a different way." Ash said.

"Okay sure." Ash then quickly grabbed Serena's hand and ran in. When they got inside, Ash let go of her hand and ran off to find the nearest mirror. Serena called out to him to wait up but he was already dashing off. Serena giggled at his childish nature and followed behind him. When she found him, he was in front of a mirror that appeared to be making his arms look bigger so that he looked buff.

"Hey Serena? Does this make me look more macho?" Ash asked while doing some poses with his arms. Serena laughed at his actions while he did that.

"It does, but you are already strong enough to me." Serena responded. While Ash was trying to act like a bodybuilder, Serena thought she would try one of the mirrors out herself. When she found one and looked at herself in it, she wanted to know what Ash thought.

"Hey Ash?" Ash heard her and walked over to her. "Does this mirror make me look cute?" She asked while doing some supermodel like poses in front of it.

Ash saw her reflection. It appeared that she looked as thin as a twig in it. Ash laughed at it and the mirrors own reflection laughed at it as well.

"I wish I looked better than this." Serena stated.

"Why? You already look beautiful as it is." Ash complimented. Serena heard exactly what he said, and her cheeks flushed a deep crimson. Before Ash could notice, he ran to another mirror. Serena stood there for a minute, taking in what Ash said. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Her crush just called her beautiful. After the blush went away, she walked over to where Ash was.

After trying out a few more mirrors, the two decided that they had enough fun pretending to be something that they weren't and left the fun house. When they walked out, they were greeted by men who were tending the exit. They were surprised by the reactions of the two men.

"Congratulations! You are the fiftieth person to enter this attraction today." Ash and Serena were unsure as to why they were doing this.

"Um, what is going on?" Ash asked, confused about the situation they were in.

"Since you are the fiftieth visitor to this attraction, you have received this, please accept this special gift." One of the men said, holding out a yellow box. Ash took it from him.

"Uh, thanks."

"No problem. You two have a good rest of the night."

Ash and Serena walked away, while Ash looked at the box in question. He wondered what was inside. Serena wanted to know what was inside as well. The two went over to a bench and sat down. They both stared at the box for a minute. Serena was definitely eager to what the box contained.

"Why don't you open it Ash? I'm curious to see what's inside." Serena said. Ash took the top of the box off, when it was removed, it revealed to be a blue ribbon.

"Whoa!" Ash said quietly.

"Wow! That is such a pretty ribbon." Serena exclaimed happily.

"It sure is. But thing is, what am I going to do with it?" Ash asked, while staring ahead of him at nothing in particular.

"I'm pretty sure you will find a good use for it. There has got to be something where you will be able to use it." Serena said.

A couple hours later after trying out a few more activities, everyone decided to group back up together and watch the fireworks show. They sat in a field where they could get a good view of the lights. When the fireworks went off, their faces were illuminating with various colors. Ash took a moment and took the box he received earlier out of his pocket. He looked at it for a few seconds. He realized that he wouldn't make any use of it. He really couldn't think of anything. Serena saw him staring at the box again.

"You still thinking about how you are going to use that?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. But thing is, I can't think of anything. So what will I do?" Ash took another moment to look at it. His friends were all looking at the box in his hands as well. But then he thought of something, he knew what he was going to do with it.

"Serena?"

"Yes Ash?"

"Here. Take this." Ash handed the box out to her. Serena was a little startled at Ash's final decision.

"Huh? But why?"

"I figured since we had such a good time tonight and I can't think of a good use for it, I think you deserve it more than me. You could probably think of a good way to make use of it." Ash explained. Serena's eyes widened. She then smiled and took the box from Ash's hand. She held it close to her chest.

"Thank you Ash! I will always treasure it." Serena exclaimed. The others saw this and smiled. They knew that Ash was starting to feel differently for Serena, and there was no denying it.

After the fireworks show, they all decided to head on home. Since Ash and Serena lived near each other they walked home together. Serena looked at the box the whole way home. She was happy that Ash was so willing to give it to her. But now, she had the same question as Ash: How was she going to use it? Ash walked her to her home to make sure she got there safe.

"I had fun tonight."

"Me too."

"I guess I'll see you Monday."

"Okay." Serena then threw herself into a hug with Ash.

"Thanks for the ribbon. I love it!" Serena said.

"No problem. I'll see you Monday okay?" Ash said.

"Okay, I'll see you then." Ash started walking away and waved goodbye to her. She waved back and went inside her house and up to her room. She sat down on her bed and looked at the box for a good period of time.

She spent a good twenty minutes looking at the box. She was thinking of many ways to use the ribbon but what? She couldn't think of something. Until…

"Wait! I know what to do with it." She said out loud. She took the ribbon out of the box and grabbed a pair of scissors that were on her dresser. She rolled out some of the ribbon until she got her desired length and cut it. She walked in front of her mirror and started tying the ribbon on the top of her shirt. When she was finished tying it into a bow, she took a minute to look at it in the mirror. She let out a happy gasp. It looked so good on her. It perfectly complimented her outfit. Something she got from someone so close to her was now a part of what she wore. She saw it as a symbol of her friendship with Ash. She thought about what would happen when Ash saw it.

"I hope he thinks it looks great. Maybe he will feel differently about me when he sees it." She thought about it and then put both her hands on the ribbon, imagining what this could mean for her friendship with Ash. Maybe it could lead to something more. Oh sweet Arceus, she really hoped that would come true.

 **Author's note:** Well, there is chapter 7. What do you think? That whole ribbon part of the chapter I really wanted to add. I thought it was a good idea, but do you guys think so. I wanted to put something in from the anime that would fit good in this story, and I think it did. But I'll leave that up to you guys. I'm pretty sure you're waiting, so here's the preview.

"Fennekin, use flamethrower!" Serena commanded her starter. The fire fox shot a blast of flames out of her mouth and it struck the Beedrill dead on. The Beedrill fell to the ground, apparently having fainted from the attack. Ash and Pikachu were dealing with the situation as well.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded his partner. Pikachu released a powerful thunderbolt that struck a dozen Beedrill, knocking them all out with one massive hit.

"Good job Pikachu, but we're not out of the woods yet." Ash stated. There was only one Beedrill left, so Ash had this one.

"Okay Pikachu, use quick attack!" Pikachu charged at the Beedrill in a rapid sprint. Pikachu growled menacingly while he ran at the Beedrill. When Pikachu came in close, he jumped at the Beedrill, but right when he came in range of Beedrill, it swiftly swung it's right arm at Pikachu which hit the electric mouse with a loud "thwack!" and sent Pikachu flying. Ash and Serena watched in shock.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted. The lone Beedrill just remained there, flying idle in place. Serena took this as a shot to take it out.

"Fennekin use flamethrower again!" Serena commanded and Fennekin shot one more flamethrower and hit the Beedrill with a big impact. The Beedrill fell to the ground right after. Ash started running towards Pikachu who landed a good thirty yards behind him. Serena and Fennekin followed him to the yellow mouse Pokemon that laid on the ground in immense pain. Ash approached Pikachu and knelt down beside him. He put a hand on him to see if he was still moving.

"Pikachu, you okay buddy?" Ash asked in a worried tone. Pikachu slowly turned his head towards Ash.

"Pi, Pika." Pikachu whimpered.

"Pikachu, can you get up?" Pikachu tried to get up on his own, but was in too much pain from the hit to move normally. Ash looked scared as he looked at his buddy. Serena and Fennekin looked on in worry as well, hoping the worst wasn't going to happen. Ash slowly and carefully picked up Pikachu in his arms and stood back up.

"Come on. We've got to get Pikachu back to my house." Ash stated and starting walking in the direction of his home, with Serena and Fennekin right on his tail.

 **Author's note:** Oh boy! Pikachu appears to have suffered a terrible injury. Will Ash and Serena be able to help him recover? If you want to find out, sit tight and wait for the next installment. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	8. A Friend in Need

**TDBigJ's message:** What up people? I've gotten more positive reception for this story, a few more follows and faves. I now announce that this story is half over. I plan to have this story be fifteen chapters. I have nothing else to say, so on to the responding of reviews.

 **Wolves 32 (Guest #1):** Probably not. Maybe. Probably. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon 44:** I will do that. Thanks for the review!

 **76ers: (Guest #2):** Those both could happen. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

Serena was up the following morning after the fair. She was preparing herself for the day. While she looked at herself in the mirror, she examined the ribbon she had added to it last night, the ribbon that Ash gave her. It was only last night and she was already treasuring it, just like she said she would. She held her hands on the ribbon, closed her eyes and smiled.

"Thanks so much for the ribbon Ash. This means a lot to me. I feel like I have a more massive crush on you than I did before." Serena thought to herself. Fennekin noticed it's owner smiling and deep in thought. She was wondering why she was doing so. Did something special happen last night? More importantly, did Ash do something special for her last night? Fennekin was thinking this was true, but she decided to think about it later. Maybe Serena might tell her at some point. She went back in her corner and laid down with her head up.

After Serena finished up her thoughts, she opened up her eyes and grabbed her fedora and put it on. She left her room, but not before petting Fennekin on the head. She didn't put her boots on because she didn't need to. She wasn't going anywhere so why bother? She went into the living and sat down. Her mother was across from her. When she saw Serena sit down, she noticed the blue ribbon attached to her shirt. She knew she never saw this ribbon before, and decided to ask her daughter where it came from.

"Hey honey?"

"Yeah?"

"I noticed there you're wearing a ribbon on your shirt. Where did you get that?" Serena looked at her mother for a second, then thought she would describe what happened.

"Ash gave it to me at the fair last night. He got it from a guy working there but Ash thought he would give it to me." Serena explained.

"So why did you tie it on your shirt?"

"Since it's such a special gift to me, I thought that I would use it in some way that Ash will find amazing." Serena answered.

"That was a very generous thing he did. I'm glad he's so selfless." Grace said.

"Yeah, he sure is." Serena said, a red blush appearing on her face. Grace noticed it, and closed her eyes, a smirk crossing her lips.

"They're going to be a couple before I know it." Grace thought to herself. This was something she has never seen before. Her daughter was totally enamored with someone and it seemed that her feelings were only growing stronger. She just wondered if Ash felt the same way. But she knew one thing, that Ash would make a good husband for her someday.

Serena sat there with her eyes closed, reflecting last night's events. Ash had done many nice things for her in the past, but this one took the cake. Ash would be wowed when he saw how she used the ribbon. Her mom was right, Ash was selfless. There was no doubt. She didn't have a dad around, but Ash was the man that was caring for her. Her eyes then widened when she realized what she just thought. Ash was "the man" caring for her? Since when did she think of that? She just thought Ash was a man. Well, that was kind of true. He was making a girl happy, and that is what a man should do.

After a while, Serena really had nothing else to do, so she went back up to her room and laid down on her bed. Today was going to be a boring day, that's for sure. She took her hat off and put it next to her. She laid there spread eagled on her bed, staring at the ceiling. She took her phone from the stand next to her bed. She looked at it. Of course, there were no messages. She thought she would call one of her friends. But thing is, did she really need to? She dropped the phone on her bed and sighed. She was a bit stressed right now, with her friends and Miette trying to pressure her into asking Ash to the prom. She already told them all that she will ask him on her own preference, that way she felt more comfortable and more importantly, more confident in asking him and having better hopes of him saying yes. She put her right hand on her face and slid it down. She'd be surprised if there was anyone who felt more uneasy than her right now. But she then thought what she could do at the moment. She decided to go to the field that Ash showed her not too long ago. Ash told her to go there whenever she needed a place to relax, and heck, now seemed like a good time. She put her hat back on and then her boots. She motioned Fennekin to come with her and the fire fox Pokemon followed suit. She walked downstairs and notified her mom that she was going for a walk and left the house and made her way towards the forest. Along the way she thought about when she would ask Ash. She knew she needed to be quick, or else you know who would be the one to do so. She was surprised that Miette hadn't thought she took too long and asked him, but that was also a breath of fresh air. Prom was two weeks away, and she wanted to ask him as soon as possible. Maybe the week of she would. Hopefully he wasn't taken by then, if so, then her heart would be a mess. And she didn't want that, because her friends, her mom, and even Ash would all worry about her. Her mom and friends she would have no problem telling why she was upset, but Ash, if he found out she was upset because of him, he would not only worry about her, but he would never forgive himself because he thought he did something wrong, which in this case wouldn't be true. She looked at Fennekin walking right next to her.

"Oh Fennekin, how am I going to ask him?" Serena said, looking at her Pokemon. Fennekin looked up at her, wondering what she was talking about.

"How am I going to ask Ash to prom? And also, how am I going to confess to him that I have a crush on him?"

"Fen, Fennekin." The fox Pokemon spoke.

"I just hope that he will understand. I've heard the others say that he's pretty dense. At least when it comes to romance."

Serena then approached the field. She went to the middle of the hill and sat down, her hands laying on top of her knees. Fennekin sat down next to her and Serena saw her and stroked her head. She then turned her gaze onto the field of flowers. Just like before, it relaxed her. She could feel the stress leaving her body. The calming sounds of the wind and the rustling of flowers and petals caressing against each other was enough to sooth her senses. She fell back onto the grass, spread eagled once again. But this time, she was smiling and enjoying herself. The solitude felt nice. She closed her eyes and let the environment around her give her the relief she needed. Fennekin decided to go to the large field of flowers and frolic around in them. Serena wasn't aware that Fennekin went off on her own, but at the moment she didn't care. Each blissful second passed, letting Serena worry about one less thing. Even if Serena did know that Fennekin trotted off, she would know Fennekin would be within her line of sight and come back when she called her. The atmosphere Serena was in right now was so soothing that she felt like going to sleep right now, which was actually happening.

Sometime later, Serena awoke from what appeared to be a short nap. She realized that she had been dozing off for a good amount of time, but how long? She took her phone out of her pocket and looked at the time. It was 12:22 in the afternoon. She took a sigh of relief. She was only asleep for about twenty minutes. She sat up from the position she was currently laying in and put her hands on her knees again. She didn't see Fennekin next to her. But knowing her for so long, she knew what Fennekin could be doing right now: frolicking in the flowers. And wouldn't you know it? She was right. She spotted Fennekin over at the edge of the field of flowers and saw Fennekin running around it, trying to chase a Pidgey that was flying in the air. Serena couldn't help but giggle at the silliness of her Pokemon. She decided that it was time to head back. She called Fennekin over and told her they were going back home. Fennekin came over and Serena decided to carry her home this time, so she picked her up and left the area and back to her house. She could get through the rest of the day knowing that it wouldn't be such a bore. Being in that field gave her the power to motor through the rest of her weekend and ready for school.

Monday came and it was time for school. Students at this point weren't so bored with school anymore, considering that prom was almost two weeks away and the school year was almost over, less than a month to be exact. The only people who really had anything overwhelming to do for the rest of the year were the seniors, who had to finish their final projects and make sure they had no grade lower than a C- in any of their classes so they could graduate. For the rest of the student body, well, nothing in particular. All they had to do was get through what schoolwork that was left and made sure they passed them. For one blonde haired genius, this was all a breeze. Clemont was able to get through all this schoolwork without a hassle. He was speeding through his current assignment like he had the answer sheet the teacher kept, but no, he wouldn't do that. He was smart enough. Class was almost over and he only had two questions left on his assignment. Within thirty seconds he had it done. When he finished, he put his pencil back in his backpack and set the assignment sheet at the corner of his desk. He noticed he was the first one done. Surprise, surprise! The bell rang almost immediately and he got up, put his backpack on and grabbed the assignment and placed it on the teacher's desk after the teacher had told the whole class to do so. He left the classroom and went to his locker to get situated for the next class. He then noticed Shauna walking up to him.

"Oh hey Shauna. What's up?" Clemont greeted.

"I just came here to see what you were doing." Shauna responded while brushing her hair back with her right hand.

"I'm doing fine. What about you?"

"Pretty much the same. Anyway, I wanted to ask you something."

"Go on ahead. Ask me anything."

"I was just wondering, would you like to go to prom with me?" Clemont's eyes widened and his cheeks flushed red. He looked right at Shauna with this expression.

"Uh, uh, wh- wha?" Clemont stuttered. This was not something he was expecting.

"Would you like to be my date for the prom?" Shauna asked again. Clemont was starting to get more nervous.

"Why… why would you want to go with me?" Clemont asked.

"I feel like there is no girl asking you and I know you're nervous about asking one yourself, so I thought I would be nice enough to make it easy for you." Shauna explained. Clemont rubbed the back of his neck in nervousness.

"Uh, Shauna, that's really nice of you, but…"

"Clemont, you don't have to worry about a thing. I'm asking you so you don't have to be shy to ask a girl out to prom." Clemont had no idea what to say. This is something that rarely happened for him, just as rare as a Machop beating Mewtwo in a battle.

"Clemont, we can go as friends. That's really all I'm asking. So will you accept?" Shauna looked at Clemont with patient eyes. Seeing the look on her face calmed down Clemont a bit. Clemont thought this wasn't that bad of an idea. She said they could go as friends. For him, that was a lot easier than if she was asking him out on a date.

"Ah, what have I got to lose?" Clemont thought to himself.

"Okay, Shauna. I'll go with you." Clemont answered.

"Oh, all right. Thank you so much!" Shauna exclaimed and gave Clemont a hug. Clemont was surprised by her hugging him. The only girl that ever hugged him was his little sister Bonnie. So Shauna was the first girl that hugged him that wasn't in his family. Shauna let go of the hug and walked off.

"That wasn't so bad." Clemont whispered to himself.

Meanwhile, Serena was at her locker. She was thinking about the whole asking Ash to prom thing. Not technically the situation Clemont was just in, but thinking over as what to say to Ash when the time came to ask him. Sure, she could just ask him if he wanted to go with her, but that was too simple, too cliché. She wanted to ask him in a more clever way, but not too elaborate to where he couldn't give her a straightforward answer. She was looking over her appearance in the mirror in her locker. She wanted to look straightened out, not that it was necessary, but what girl wants to look frumpy? Dawn walked up to her when she was checking over herself.

"Hey, what you up to?"

"Nothing really. You?"

"I just wanted to tell you that we have the prom all set up. We got the music, decorations, everything." Dawn stated.

"That's great. It would be a bummer of a prom if nothing was what people were expecting." Serena said.

"Good point. Have you made your move yet?" Dawn asked, with a small smirk.

"Huh? Oh right! No, not yet." Serena replied.

"Well you better hurry up. Prom is not too far away." Dawn said.

"What about you? Have you asked that girl yet?" Serena asked.

"Yeah. She actually asked me last week. I said yes." Dawn replied.

"Now we just need the rest of our friends to get dates. I wouldn't want any of them to go lonely." Serena said.

"Nah, I don't think any of them would care if they went alone. They're old enough to not care if they go alone or with someone." Dawn stated.

"What about Brock?"

"Brock may be a different story. But I wouldn't know for sure."

"I hope the guy gets himself a date. He deserves one." Serena said.

"Well, I got to get to my next class. See you after school." Dawn said and walked away. Serena knew she had to as well and closed her locker and went off towards her next class.

A few more hours passed by rather quickly. It was the end of the school day when the bell started ringing. Students began walking into a huge crowd in the hallway, looking forward to getting home. Serena walked out the front doors of the school and leaned up against the wall next to them. Ash promised her that he would walk her home today. Within a couple of minutes, Ash came out from the doors and saw her standing there a few feet away.

"Hey, you ready?"

"Yeah."

"All right. Let's go." Ash said. And they started walking home. But before Serena even walked a few steps, Ash spotted the one thing that he remembered giving to her: the blue ribbon. It was tied to her shirt. Ash was surprised. She did make a good use for it. But why this way though? He held up his right hand, signaling her to stop.

"Wait?"

"What is it Ash?" Ash pointed at the ribbon she was proudly wearing.

"Is that ribbon-"

"Yeah. It's the present you gave me." Ash's face had a surprised reaction. He then smiled. It was a great way to use it. He admitted, it was a great addition to her appearance.

"You're wearing it. It looks great!" Ash commented.

"Pikachu!" The yellow mouse Pokemon said happily in agreement. Serena smiled and blushed at Ash's reaction. She was so happy at the moment. She almost felt like she was going to faint right then and there.

"Yes! It worked!" Serena thought. This was the reaction she was hoping for. She couldn't have been more overjoyed. They then started to begin their walk home. Ash began to have some thoughts as they entered the forest.

"Very interesting way she used that ribbon I gave her. But, the way she did, does she think of me in a special way? Does she think of me differently than what I think?" Ash thought to himself. Thousands of questions rang in his head. Serena noticed he had a different look on his face than usual.

"Something up Ash?"

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. I'm just thinking something over is all."

"Oh, okay." Serena was smiling though. She pretty much knew what Ash was thinking about. Not his exact thoughts, but the subject.

"So you up for some more training?" Ash asked.

"Oh yeah, sure." Serena replied, nodding her head.

"I was thinking we should do some. We haven't in a few days."

"Yeah. I want some more practice in before I do a real battle."

"Don't worry, you're getting better. Let's do some in a couple hours. How's that sound?" Ash asked.

"Sounds good." Serena responded.

"I think I've got some new tactics that I can teach you. They might be good ones for a trainer of your-" Ash starting explaining what he could help her with next, until he heard a buzzing sound that sounded like it wasn't too far off. He put an arm in front of Serena to stop her.

"Hold on. I hear something."

"Like what?"

"Trouble!" Serena then shivered at the mention of trouble. She knew that meant what was about to happen wouldn't be in the slightest bit good.

Ash kept his arm in front of Serena while he kept a good ear to hear where this sound was coming from. It sounded like it was getting closer, and it was. The sound was getting louder second by second. When it was at the point where it was deafening, the culprits of the sound popped out all around them. It was a swarm of Beedrill. Ash and Serena's facial expressions then turned into a combination of shocked and scared. The Beedrill looked at the two teens, looking ready for a good attack. Ash's look then turned into a determined and angry one. He looked at Pikachu who was on his right shoulder.

"You ready Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and landed on the ground, looking menacing and ready for anything. Serena saw the two of them and grabbed her Pokeball containing Fennekin and threw it.

"Fennekin, come help us!" The Pokeball opened and out came the fox Pokemon. Fennekin saw what was in front of her and looked scared, but she then turned brave and got in the same stance as Pikachu. Ash looked at Serena, about to ask her if she was ready for this.

"Ready?"

"Ready!"

"All right! Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Pikachu leapt in the air and let out a powerful thunderbolt which knocked out about ten Beedrill at once. Now it was Serena's turn.

"Fennekin, use flamethrower!" Serena commanded her starter. The fire fox shot a blast of flames out of her mouth and it struck the Beedrill dead on. The Beedrill fell to the ground, apparently having fainted from the attack. Ash and Pikachu were dealing with the situation as well.

"Pikachu, use thunderbolt!" Ash commanded his partner. Pikachu released a powerful thunderbolt that struck a dozen Beedrill, knocking them all out with one massive hit.

"Good job Pikachu, but we're not out of the woods yet." Ash stated. There was only one Beedrill left, so Ash had this one.

"Okay Pikachu, use quick attack!" Pikachu charged at the Beedrill in a rapid sprint. Pikachu growled menacingly while he ran at the Beedrill. When Pikachu came in close, he jumped at the Beedrill, but right when he came in range of Beedrill, it swiftly swung it's right arm at Pikachu which hit the electric mouse with a loud "thwack!" and sent Pikachu flying. Ash and Serena watched in shock.

"Pikachu!" Ash shouted. The lone Beedrill just remained there, flying idle in place. Serena took this as a shot to take it out.

"Fennekin use flamethrower again!" Serena commanded and Fennekin shot one more flamethrower and hit the Beedrill with a big impact. The Beedrill fell to the ground right after. Ash started running towards Pikachu who landed a good thirty yards behind him. Serena and Fennekin followed him to the yellow mouse Pokemon that laid on the ground in immense pain. Ash approached Pikachu and knelt down beside him. He put a hand on him to see if he was still moving.

"Pikachu, you okay buddy?" Ash asked in a worried tone. Pikachu slowly turned his head towards Ash.

"Pi, Pika." Pikachu whimpered.

"Pikachu, can you get up?" Pikachu tried to get up on his own, but was in too much pain from the hit to move normally. Ash looked scared as he looked at his buddy. Serena and Fennekin looked on in worry as well, hoping the worst wasn't going to happen. Ash slowly and carefully picked up Pikachu in his arms and stood back up.

"Come on. We've got to get Pikachu back to my house." Ash stated and starting walking in the direction of his home, with Serena and Fennekin right on his tail.

The three of them rushed to Ash's house with Ash carrying the injured Pikachu in his arms. Pikachu's eyes were closed. Ash looked down at his buddy. He had a worried look on his face. Pikachu had suffered horrible attacks like this before. But it seemed this one was pretty severe.

"It's okay Pikachu. We'll get you better." Ash said sadly. The three of them reached Ash's house and ran inside up to his room. Ash laid Pikachu down on his bed, to give him some comfort. Serena fetched a blanket from a side of the room and placed it on top of Pikachu.

"We need something to help him. Do you know anything that can help Pokemon with injuries?" Ash asked. Serena's face lit up when she thought of something.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I'll be right back." She ran out of the room to go do what she had to do. Ash kneeled down next to Pikachu. He softly stroked his partner's head. Fennekin jumped on the bed and sat down next to Pikachu. She felt bad for him as well, and placed her right paw on the electric mouse.

"Fen?" Ash looked at Fennekin and put on a small smile.

"Don't worry Fennekin. Pikachu will get better. I promise." Fennekin looked down at Pikachu. She had a worried expression as well. During the time Serena moved back here, Fennekin got to know Pikachu really well and was great friends with him. She didn't like to see Pikachu like this. She was sad for Ash as well, as the two had a bond like no other, and there he was with a worried look, slowly stroking Pikachu's fur, hoping he would wake up from his pained state.

After five minutes, Serena came back into the room with a bowl. She kneeled down next to Pikachu and scooped up whatever was in the bowl and told Pikachu to open it's mouth. Pikachu opened his eyes slowly, and she fed Pikachu the contents of the spoon. Pikachu chewed on the substance and swallowed. Within seconds, Pikachu was easily able to move so that he was facing upwards. A small smile crept across his lips. It seemed that he was feeling a little better but not a hundred percent.

"Whoa, he moved. What is that stuff?" Ash asked after seeing his buddy move.

"They're called pecha berries. They help Pokemon heal faster. It looks like it helped Pikachu a little bit but it will take time for them to take full effect." Serena explained. Ash hear about these berries before. He saw numerous people feed it to their Pokemon, but he didn't know their exact purpose. Ash put his left hand on Pikachu's head.

"Just get better buddy." Ash said, feeling a little better. "Anything I can do to help the healing process?"

"Why don't you let me take care of him Ash. I can help Pikachu get back to full strength." Serena said.

"But-"

"Ash, it's okay. I can handle it. I have encountered this situation before. If I can help you with an injury, I can help Pikachu with one." Serena stated, placing a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Okay, thanks Serena."

"It's no problem. He's your best friend. I'd hate for you to lose him."

Ash was sure Serena knew what she was doing. He completely trusted her. He knew that Pikachu was in good hands.

Night rolled around and Ash had gone into bed. Pikachu was lying right next to him. Serena was there as well, sleeping in the chair next to the bed. She already contacted her mom and told her she would be here tonight. Her mom was fine, especially after Serena told her what was going on. Fennekin was sleeping soundly next to the bed. Ash was thinking in his sleep. He didn't want Pikachu to be injured to the point that he couldn't battle anymore. They had been through so much, he didn't want anything worse to happen to his little buddy.

The next morning, Ash awoke. He looked at the spot on the bed next to him Pikachu wasn't there. Ash got up with a jolt. Where did Pikachu go? Ash started frantically searching around his room for Pikachu. Maybe Pikachu was pranking him and trying to hide from him. Ash looked everywhere in his room but couldn't find Pikachu.

"Pikachu, where are you?" Serena approached from behind him. Ash noticed her behind him. He knew what question he was going to ask her.

"Have you seen Pikachu anywhere?"

"I don't know. But I might have an idea." She moved around her arms to where they were in front of her.

"TA DA!" Serena revealed to have Pikachu in her hands. Pikachu looked like he was all better.

"Pika!"

"Pikachu! You're all right! Oh thank goodness." Ash exclaimed as he grabbed Pikachu and hugged him tightly, but not too tight to where Pikachu would suffocate. Ash released from the hug and looked at Serena.

"He's all right. When did this happen?" Ash asked.

"He woke up in the middle of the night and woke me up, telling me he was okay." Serena answered. "He looks a hundred and ten percent from the way I see it."

Ash was speechless. His buddy was doing better than he was before, and it was all because of Serena. Ash couldn't contain his happiness, as he then moved forward and pulled Serena into a tight hug. Serena was a little surprised at Ash's reaction, but returned the hug.

"Thank you so much! I'm so glad you were here to help him." Ash said.

"Anytime. I know how much he means to you." Serena replied. But what happened next she didn't see coming. Ash released from the hug and kissed her on the cheek. Serena blushed a dark red. Ash, realizing what he just did, blushed red as well. They stood there in silence for a minute. Seeing as it was, Ash broke the silence with a simple statement.

"Uh, so, thanks again."

"Um, you're welcome."

 **Author's note:** Ha! Look at what happened there. That was unexpected huh? Looks like their friendship is blooming. Anyway, I bet you're waiting for the preview, so here it is.

Serena had thought about many ways to ask Ash to prom. None of them seemed good enough that it wouldn't be cheesy. She didn't think that this would be such a hassle.

"Man, this is hard. I really want to ask him, but I want a good enough way to do so. I don't want to just ask: "Ash, will you go to the prom with me?" That would be way too simple." Serena thought to herself.

This was starting to become a dilemma. This was causing more stress than she needed. She sat there a few more minutes thinking, but nothing came to mind. But then there was one thing she could do, she could get some advice. Yeah, maybe that could help.

"I could ask Dawn and May for help. They have dates so they could give me some tips." She thought. She got up and went to go look for the two.

 **Author's note:** Well, what is Serena going to do? Will May and Dawn give her some well needed advice? If you want to find out, wait and find out in the next chapter, until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	9. Thinking About You

**TDBigJ's message:** Hey, I'm back! I have another installment here for you. I really appreciate the feedback you people are giving me. The number of favorites, followers, and reviews are higher than for any other story I've written. But to me, it's not the amount of people who favorite, follow, and/or review, it's the people who are giving this story a shot and giving me their opinions that are giving me the incentive to keep this story chugging along. This story is now my longest story to date, chapterwise and wordwise, as this story has nine chapters, as my longest one before this was seven chapters, and is over 45,000 words long, over 10,000 words longer than my second longest. This story has six chapters left after this one as I mentioned in the last chapter that this story will go to fifteen chapters. So, now, you know what happens next: The responding of reviews. You know the drill if you don't want to bother with them.

 **Espeon44:** I am planning to write an epilogue, but it's different from the one you mentioned. Of course Brock is going to have a date. I think the lovable goofball deserves one. Serena might talk to May and Dawn about their dates. I will tell you this, she will be talking to them in this chapter, but not for that reason. A suggestion from you in a previous chapter actually gave me the idea for this chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Wolves22 (Guest #1):** She probably will end up getting the courage, as this chapter takes a step in that direction. Yeah, May might do that. What is a romance story without a little, well, romance? Thanks for the review!

 **Jaguars5 (Guest #2):** Yeah she probably will. As for the epilogue, I definitely have an epilogue planned out, but I don't think it will be one of the things you brought up in your review. I have what will happen in the epilogue thought out. But there is one thing I can guarantee you, is that every main character in this story will be in a relationship by the end of the story. There will be five more chapters plus an epilogue for the rest of the story. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #3:** Man, you just keep coming don't you? I have never gotten so much inspiration from a guest. I appreciate what you say to me every chapter even if most of the review is the same. Thanks for the review!

 **Warriors30 (Guest #4):** I wish I could do that, but I already have the plot for the rest of the chapters planned out, but I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks for the review!

 **Pokemonmeat:** It pleases me to hear that you love this story and that you like it so much. Well, here is that update that you wanted. And don't worry, I update every Friday so you won't be waiting too long for a new chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

Ash was in the forest with Pikachu, Buizel, Corphish, and Talonflame, walking around while scavenging for berries whenever they encountered a tree or bush that contained them. Ash had retrieved Buizel, Corphish, and Talonflame from Professor Oak's lab after he left home to come here. They were the Pokemon he thought would like this experience. At least here he didn't have to worry about having them battle or repel Team Rocket. Since he was at home, he had no need to focus on subjects like that. His Pokemon didn't have to suffer any labor while he was in Pallet. But this summer when he would go out on his next journey, that's when everything would start again: gym battles, Team Rocket trying to capture his and his companions Pokemon, training for battles. That was still three weeks away so Ash had some time left to rest before then. But as he said before, he would rest the day after school got out before he left for his next journey, just so he could get everything situated and planned out and also to contact those who said they would tag along with him during the journey to let them know that he would be leaving the next day.

He thought about who was already going to join him during that time. He had gotten Brock, who agreed to go on another journey with him. Brock had to have been his most loyal traveling companion out of all the people who went with him on his journeys. As mentioned before, Brock had traveled with Ash in four different regions: Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh. Ash was glad that one of his best friends would be willing to go on yet another journey with him. He was looking forward to it. And then, there was the other person, his best friend who he had been getting along with so well in the last few months since she moved here: Serena.

Ash thought that how Serena never really went on a journey of her own. She said she went on one when she lived back in Kalos, but she stated that it wasn't really much of one, since she traveled alone and she never really had a purpose for it. She never found something she could pursue, like what she wanted to be. She could become a battler like him, or she could be a coordinator like May and Dawn did. There was something in Kalos called a Pokemon Performer. He stopped and watched some of those when he was in that region. They weren't bad. They were real eye catchers. Shauna was one of those, but she didn't win the title of Kalos Queen, even though she got so far in it. Maybe she could do that, but he wasn't sure if the next region he traveled in would have that. He thought Serena could chase any one of those paths and be successful, but he would have to wait and see during the summer and she would choose. Ash was nothing short of excited for the upcoming league season. Ugh, summer couldn't come soon enough.

During the time he was thinking, Talonflame had flown off to find more berries in some other place. Pikachu, Buizle, and Corphish were right there with him looking all around for some. But as usual, Corphish, being the rambunctious Pokemon that he is, was shredding bushes left and right, nearly making them look like a mutant monster peed on them. Ash was amused at Corphish's antics, laughing whenever he had torn apart a whole bush looking for berries, clearly when there were plenty on the outside. But he guessed it wouldn't hurt to look for some on the inside. Corphish picked up a massive amount of berries that he had picked off the bushes and brought them over to Ash.

"Thanks a bunch Corphish! That should lessen our workload." Ash thanked his Hoenn water Pokemon. He admitted Corphish was a pain in the neck sometimes but his battling made up for it. Plus, he helped whenever Ash or somebody asked for it, so he wasn't a total pain.

Thinking about all the water Pokemon he had caught throughout his journeys: Squirtle, Corphish, Buizle, Greninja, just to name a few. Out of all of them Greninja was the only one who really evolved. Ash got him when he was a Froakie, and he managed to evolve into a Frogadier, and after what took a while, he evolved into a Greninja. Ash wondered why he was the only water Pokemon of his that evolved. What was wrong with the rest of them? He would forever wonder why that was, because even he didn't know the reason. But why would he complain? Every single one of them made great progress and were really great battlers, so he had no problem why the most of them never evolved.

After fifteen minutes, he and his Pokemon had gathered all the berries they needed, or wanted for that matter. He collected the berries simply because he wanted to spend some time with a few of his Pokemon and have a little snack while they were at it. Ash grabbed a couple berries from the pile and popped them in his mouth. Pikachu, Corphish, Buizle, and Talonflame each took a berry as well and started munching on them.

While sitting there and eating some berries, Ash had a thought that had been clouding his mind the last couple of days. Two days ago, when he had woken up from a good night's sleep to find Pikachu not next to him, only to find out Pikachu was fully healed from the attack the night before because Serena's berry concoction had helped him get back to full health fast. When he thanked her for helping his buddy get better, he had kissed her on the cheek. He thought over what had caused him to do that. He couldn't come up with a good enough reason. Maybe he was just extremely grateful. He thought it was probably an overreaction, but he soon thought that wasn't it. He thought Serena would be stressed out from him doing that, but she didn't show any signs of being so. She still felt comfortable to talk to him since that, but for some reason, he didn't. It seemed like something was changing, something about himself. Was he starting to have romantic feelings for her? No, that couldn't be. He knew squat about romance, so why would he feel that? Besides, it was just a kiss on the cheek. But a kiss, no matter where it was on the face, shows that you have some indication of loving someone. He just imagined what it would of meant if he had kissed her on the lips. Ash wasn't neglectful to the idea of romance, but it just wasn't one of his primary characteristics. It didn't interest him, but he had no thought of rejecting an experience in the future. He just wanted to know how Serena felt about it. He hoped he didn't freak her out, because he didn't want to lose his best friend over something like that.

"How am I going to explain that to her? She probably doesn't feel that way towards me. She probably couldn't even think for the rest of the day after that." Ash thought to himself. He mentally slapped himself. He was over thinking this whole thing. He'd have to talk to his mom about this. She would have a better understanding of it. He slotted in a few more berries in his mouth and continued pondering over his thoughts. He was peacefully thinking until…

"BOO!"

"AHH!"

Ash screamed when the person who was behind him scared him out of nowhere. The berries that were in his hand flew out when the scare made him jerk his hand in a swift motion. He had a feared expression on his face as he turned around to see who was responsible. And, to no surprise, it was Serena. She was there, laughing hysterically with her eyes closed, holding on to her sides as she laughed until she needed to gasp for air. Ash put on a "yeah, yeah, very funny" look after realizing it was her. His Pokemon were just looking at them, wondering why the heck this happened.

"Oh yeah, laugh it up!" Ash said sarcastically. He had a smile on his face even though he was suffering from her antics. He had to admit, her laugh was kind of cute. Now he mentally slapped himself again. He was now thinking THIS? Her? Serena? Cute? Where were these words coming from? First the kiss on her cheek, and now this? He had some time when he got back home to think this all over. Her laughter eventually died down and she sat down right next to him.

"Yeah, that was really mature, Serena." Ash commented.

"Oh you know I'm just playing around. You were just sitting there. I had to do something." Serena said as she playfully shoved Ash with her right hand.

"Don't worry. I know you mean well." Ash replied.

"Thanks. Believe me, the last thing I would ever do to you is hurt you." Serena stated. "So, what are you thinking about?" Ash stopped chewing on the berries that were in his mouth and swallowed. He didn't know what to do. Should he tell her the truth, or should he tell her that it was just nothing. He thought he would just go straightforward and tell her the truth, as saying it was nothing would probably lead to that anyway.

"I was just thinking about something that happened." Ash said, looking at the ground. Serena had a pretty good idea what it was about, but wanted to know just to be sure.

"Thinking about what?" She asked, looking straight into his eyes. Ash took a deep breath before answering.

"Remember when I kissed you on the cheek a couple days ago?" Serena's thoughts were correct. He definitely had been thinking about it. Thing was, she had been thinking about it too.

"Yeah, I do. What about it?"

"It's just that… did you feel… freaked out by any chance?" Serena then took this one in. She liked how he was caring about her feelings.

"No Ash, of course not." Ash sighed in relief.

"Good. That's a load off."

"I'm glad. But I was just as surprised as you were when you did it." Ash quietly gasped when he heard this.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I didn't see it coming. It wasn't something I expected was going to happen. But don't feel bad, I didn't hate it." Serena explained.

"So at least it wasn't a bad thing." Ash stated.

"Believe it or not Ash, it's actually been on my mind a lot the last couple days too."

"Oh."

"When you did that, I thought you were just being grateful, but then I thought, maybe it meant something different. But I didn't know exactly what it was. But I wanted to think it over time." Serena explained in full detail. Ash was surprised that this was going through her mind as well. It seemed that she was in the same situation he was because, well, she pretty much was. Ash grabbed a couple berries from the pile and offered them to her. She gladly took them and popped them in her mouth.

"So to make a long story short, you were not freaked out?" Ash asked. Serena shook her head.

"Nope."

"You didn't feel weird afterwards?"

"Nuh uh."

"Okay, I think that's a good thing then."

"Yep."

"Want to head back?"

"Yeah sure."

The two got up and Ash motioned his Pokemon to come with him. Seeing as there were still some berries left, Pikachu, Corphish, Buizle, and Talonflame stuffed the remaining berries in their mouths. When there were no traces of the berries left, each of them had their cheeks stuffed so much that it was visible. They started following the two as they walked off towards their houses. The walk home was in total silence. But during the walk, Ash was looking in the opposite direction, Serena thought that since he wasn't looking, that she would try to grab his hand, and she moved her hand towards his, hoping to clutch it. But she thought she shouldn't do that since the incident from a couple days ago was still fresh on their minds, so she retracted her hand and looked away blushing. They approached Serena's house first. Seeing as they wouldn't see each other for the rest of the day, Ash started to say his goodbye.

"I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow then." Ash said.

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow." Serena responded.

"Have a good day."

"You too."

Ash then turned to walk away, until Serena stopped him.

"Ash wait." Ash halted his movement and turned around and walked back to her.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"Just so it isn't weird…" Serena said. She then planted a kiss on his right cheek. Ash was surprised, but not as much as the other day. He had a faint tint of pink in his cheeks, but he didn't care.

"What was that?"

"Just a little payback."

Serena smiled and blushed after she said this. Ash noticed, but wasn't sure what it could be about. Serena giggled and opened her front door.

"I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay?" She asked. Ash just nodded his head to confirm.

"Yeah, I'll, uh, see you tomorrow."

He turned around and returned to walking back to his house. Serena giggled again after seeing his expression. She walked inside and closed the door behind her. She leaned against the door after she closed it.

"I wonder if he is feeling different about me now." She thought to herself.

It was Friday, which meant that it was the last day of school for the week. The day was only half over so some students were still dreading the fact that there were still a few hours left of school until it was finished for the week. But some students were conversing about one thing and one thing only: Prom, which was next Saturday. Most students had found a date but a few decided to go alone. But for some who wanted to go with someone, they still hadn't found a date, either they asked someone who already was going with another person, or they didn't have the courage to ask a certain someone if they wanted to go with them. For the latter, Serena was one of them. She still didn't have a way to ask Ash to go to the prom with her. What was so hard about it? Serena wanted so badly to go with Ash to the prom. She wanted nothing more at the moment. Well, except for the fact that she wanted to be his girlfriend. But it seemed prom would have to do for now, that would be the next step.

Soon enough, the bell signaling it was lunch period rang. Everyone got up and rushed out of the classroom. Serena slowly got out of her seat, grabbed her binder, and left the room to head to the lunchroom. She walked until she found a bench to sit down on. She needed to think this whole prom thing over for a moment.

Serena had thought about many ways to ask Ash to prom. None of them seemed good enough that it wouldn't be cheesy. She didn't think that this would be such a hassle.

"Man, this is hard. I really want to ask him, but I want a good enough way to do so. I don't want to just ask: "Ash, will you go to the prom with me?" That would be way too simple." Serena thought to herself.

This was starting to become a dilemma. This was causing more stress than she needed. She sat there a few more minutes thinking, but nothing came to mind. But then there was one thing she could do, she could get some advice. Yeah, maybe that could help.

"I could ask Dawn and May for help. They have dates so they could give me some tips." She thought. She got up and went to go look for the two.

She knew they were in the lunchroom, sitting at their usual table. She wanted to get the two of them alone and discuss things over. Maybe they could give her good tips on asking Ash. She immediately found them and went over and tapped them on the shoulder. They both turned around to see her there.

"Oh hey Serena, what's up?" Dawn asked.

"Could I possibly… speak to you and May alone? I want your help with something." Serena asked.

"Oh sure what is it?" May asked.

"Could we go somewhere else and do it? I don't really want the rest of them hearing."

May and Dawn got up and they walked with Serena wherever she had wanted to talk to them to. They reached a table that was in a far corner of the courtyard behind the lunchroom. They sat down and Dawn and May immediate got straight to what Serena had dragged them out here for.

"Okay Serena, what is it that you need?" May asked.

Serena then took a deep breath and answered. "You know how I want to go to the prom with Ash, right?" May and Dawn nodded their heads. "Thing is, I want to ask him, but I don't want it to be too plain. Could you give me some advice on a more clever way to ask?"

"Yeah, we could do that." Dawn responded. She sat there thinking for a moment. She popped up when she thought of something.

"Okay, you've been hanging out with him every Saturday since you moved here right? So I would start off by stating how it's been for you during those days. Like how you have enjoyed them and how it made you feel." Serena heard every word, and from what Dawn had told her, that was actually really good. She was surprised that she herself hadn't thought of that initially.

"And another thing is that you could tell him how sincere of a friend he has been and how much that has meant to you. Tell him how your friendship with him has had an impact on you." May explained, telling Serena her idea. That wasn't bad either. This was proving to be very helpful.

"And after those two things, that's when you take your shot and ask him if he would like to go with you." Dawn added. Serena then took note of everything they said. So with that information given to her, she now had a good idea of how she would ask him and what she would say.

So basically, I say something about our time that we spend together throughout the day, then mention how meaningful our friendship to me is, and then ask him?" Serena asked, pointing out everything they had told her. Dawn and May nodded their heads in confirmation.

"Okay, I think I have a general idea of what to do now. Thank you girls so much! This means so much." Serena thanked and stood up from the table.

"Just remember everything and sooner or later Ash will be by your side at prom, and maybe even something else will happen by the end of the night." May stated. Serena blushed a little at that last part, but not so that it was noticed by the two girls. The two of them walked up to her and hugged her.

"I hope you get the courage and snag him up. I think you two would be perfect together." Dawn said. Now that was something Serena liked to hear. Dawn and May left and went back to the lunchroom. Serena thought that tonight when she got home she would think of what to say.

Later on in the evening, Serena had been sitting on her bed, writing on a notepad to figure out what to say when the opportunity came. She had written many possibilities down on paper, but nothing had seemed to be decent enough. She wrote something else down but realized that wasn't good either.

"No, that doesn't seem right." She crossed out that option and starting thinking of another one. Time passed by, option after option flew by in her head, nothing in the least seeming good enough. After another failed attempt, she pounded the bed with her left fist.

"For crying out loud, why is this so hard?" She said to herself. Fennekin noticed her trainer's stress and jumped up onto the bed and sat down next to her. Serena smiled and patted the top of Fennekin's head.

"What am I going to do Fennekin? He means so much to me but asking him seems like a complete struggle. I have to ask him next week or else I would have wasted all my time for nothing." She stared at her notepad for a minute. Her mind went completely blank. Nothing else was coming to mind. She slid down on her bed and lightly slapped her face with the notepad. This seemed to become a fruitless endeavor. Anything she thought of seemed more pathetic than the last. She was running out of ideas and she was now becoming frustrated. What else could she think of? Fennekin, who was just sitting there, sensed how irritated her trainer was at the moment. But then she noticed something that could help Serena out.

"Fen?" Serena removed the notepad that was concealing her face and looked at her Pokemon.

"What is it, Fennekin?" Fennekin walked a few steps so she could point out what she was trying to show the thing that she knew would help Serena. She reached her leg out and placed it on the one thing that meant the most to Serena: The blue ribbon Ash gave her that was tied to her shirt. Serena looked at it and her face immediately lit up as she finally found the source she was looking for.

"Fennekin, that's it! That's perfect!" She then started writing down her thoughts and what would be the perfect way to ask him. After a few minutes of jotting everything she wanted to say, she read it over. After she read it a couple times, she finally said what she felt about it.

"It's perfect!" She said as she held the notepad to her chest. This was definitely what she was wanting to say. It, indeed, was perfect.

 **Author's note:** Well, it seems that Serena has finally discovered how she would ask Ash to prom. What did she come up with? You'll find out in a future chapter. It may be the next, but I can't guarantee it. It will just be in a future chapter, let's just keep it at that. I think this chapter went pretty well and I think this has to be one of my favorite chapters that I've written, both with writing it and the plot of it. But as usual, I'll leave that to you guys. So I'm pretty sure you guys are waiting for it, now on to the preview.

Serena had just started making her way out of the school and on her way home. A lot of students were running around in a frenzy, apparently fearing something was about to happen. Serena didn't know what, but she didn't hear anything during school today, so she had no idea what it could have been.

"What is going on? Is there an Ursaring loose in the school or something?" Serena said to herself. Most of the students had scared looks on their faces while some had looks of determination, wanting to avoid what was about to happen. One of the students, a boy ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders, looking like his life was about to be cut short.

"You have to get out of here. It's about to happen." He said, clearly in a panicked state.

"What is going to happen?" Serena asked him. She was unclear on the whole event that was going on in front of her.

"Whatever you do, avoid the upperclassmen. This is the day, that… you know." He remarked.

"I actually have no clue what is going on right now." Serena replied back. This student must not know that she has only been going here for three months.

"Just avoid the upperclassmen at all costs." He instructed and ran off.

Serena was really confused right now. Was this a traditional event that happened at this school every year on this very day? She was warned to avoid the seniors of the school. But before she could think any further, she heard brief screams coming from many students, both male and female. After hearing that, she went behind the nearest wall and peered out to get a view of the chaos. Clearly there were some seniors throwing water balloons at the lowerclassmen. Not only that, there were some students being pinned to the wall for some apparent reason. Luckily, there were some brave students who either stood up to the seniors or rescued another. Serena knew she wasn't going to get home this way, so she had to find some way out of it before she became a victim. She started walking down the hallway she entered and scouted for a way to get out of here. She turned down hallways that were either empty or with some students unaware of her presence and she made her way through them without being noticed. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt pretty scared right now. She had that bad feeling that one upperclassmen was going to jump out and strike her.

"Just focus on getting out of here, be smart, and don't attract any unwanted attention." Serena said to herself.

She continued down numerous hallways and luckily didn't get noticed by any of the hazing seniors. She eventually found a path that would very much be her ticket to freedom. She made her way down the hallway, but, alas, it was too good to be true, as a senior jumped out fifteen feet in front of her, with a water balloon ready at the helm. A smirk played at his lips and prepared to strike. Serena whimpered at the sudden appearance of her attacker. She took a few steps back but realized that there was no way out for her, so she had to pray that he would miss her, but she had that thought that he had more ammo.

"Target acquired. You have nowhere to go, so you're out of luck." The boy said menacingly and wound up his arm backwards and threw the balloon. Serena had no choice but to stand there and hope that he overthrew it or didn't put enough effort in it. The balloon was coming at a good speed and was about to hit her. Serena closed her eyes and waited for the impact. But all of a sudden, a pair of arms wrapped around her and threw her backwards. She heard the water balloon burst and heard many splashes of water hit the floor around her. She opened her eyes and felt her clothes. No traces of water on it. Not one drop. Who had put themselves in harm's way just for her? She turned around and saw who took the hit.

 **Author's note:** Whoa, look at the hell that erupted here. What happened and why is it happening? Did anyone get hurt? Who helped Serena? You can probably guess. But if you want the answers to the perilous event that is happening, stay tuned and hold on for the next chapter. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	10. I'd Catch a Grenade For You

**TDBigJ's message:** Another week, another chapter. I hope life has been going good for you in the last week. Mine sure has. I bring you here another chapter. I can't believe this story is already at chapter 10. I'm proud of myself for going this far. This is the story I've probably been the most dedicated to. And all the people who read this story and give it so much support warms my heart as well. I'd like to thank you all who have been with me since the start, propelling me to work harder every week to get the next chapter out. Trust me, some chapters have been easy, some haven't, but I've lived up to my promise of releasing a chapter every Friday since the start of this story. This story has now reached over 4,200 views. Thank you all so much! This chapter has become the longest chapter to date, being over 7,200 words. So you know how I start my chapters, after the message, I respond to reviews. If you're itching to get to the chapter, just surpass all the reviews. I know that the chapter is what you're here for. I'd thought I would leave something else before I do so. If you ever want to know something about me, want to suggest something to me to put in a chapter, or just want to talk, give me a PM. I won't bite. I'm a really friendly guy so I won't jump your ass for anything. If you feel like contacting me, just shoot me a PM. I'm always more than willing to answer your questions, suggestions, or give you a nice chat if you've seen better days. And there is also one more thing I would like to say. I've officially begun typing my next story. I'm not too far into it as I just started it this past Sunday. I'm still working on the first chapter. And in case you were wondering, yes, it's an amourshipping story. I don't want to go too much into detail with it right now. Once I get to the end of the final chapter of this story then I will tell you everything about it, okay? Let's get to the responding of reviews shall we?

 **Wolves22 (Guest #1):** Those questions will be answered in this chapter. Although the first question you will probably know the answer to. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44:** I'm hoping she will. Well, I'm the author so I will determine if she does or not. Although I've been thinking about them doing so. As I said last chapter, what is a romance story without romance? No, I don't think Dawn will be scared of her friends knowing she loves a girl. I wouldn't make them homophobes. I would never go that far. I wouldn't want you to be disappointed that I made the characters judgmental of Dawn dating your OC. That's the last thing I would do. Thanks for the review!

 **Marlins27 (Guest #2):** I will definitely make sure Brock gets in a good relationship. He's one of my favorite characters in the show so I want him to have some luck for once. If you want, you can either suggest an actual Pokemon character to be in a relationship with him or you can send me an OC to do so. It doesn't matter if you're a guest, I will gladly accept an OC if that's what you want. May and her love interest might get married, but the most that will happen with them by the end of the story is just them being boyfriend and girlfriend. I am planning on making Dawn and her love interest dance, that I can promise you. I am actually planning on putting Bonnie in this story. As a matter of fact, SPOILER ALERT, she will actually be making an appearance THIS chapter. It's only a minor appearance but she is definitely in this one. There are two other characters that will be making their first appearance this chapter. I will consider reading that story you suggested. Thanks for the review!

 **Pokemonmeat:** Glad that you liked the chapter! You have a good point there on the second part. Serena kissing him on the cheek was as she said "payback". So she was just playing around with him on that as he did the same thing to her. It wasn't really a romantic moment for either occurrence. Sorry if the preview confused you. The boy thinking about doing that to Serena is all about the hazing. You will know more about that this chapter. Thank you for giving me and this story a favorite and for the review!

 **Guest #3:** Thanks yet again for the supporting review. I like how you say this story is getting spicy. I appreciate your continued support.

 **Blizzard21:** Wow! That review is, wow! A great presence of thought, no one has ever said that about me before. I appreciate that you honor my thoughts and the fact that you mentioned that not only the endings of the previous chapters have been greatly executed, but this whole story has been. This is your 2nd favorite high school fic? *Blushes* Aw thank you! I don't care if it's not the first, that's not important to me. Two is actually my favorite number, and it's funny that I am twenty two and that has two twos. Okay, setting that aside. I had always planned on putting events from the anime in this story as I try to make this story as canonical as it can be to the anime. It seems to you that I'm doing a good job with that, and that pleases me. Putting them in seemed like a good idea as at the start of this story Serena just met Ash at the age of 16, unlike the anime which made them meet in their childhood, prior to the age of 10 as a matter of fact. Glad that you are looking forward to the new chapter. Well here it is. And don't worry about me taking a while to update as on previous occasions, I stated that I update every Friday. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

May sat in her room at home. She was sitting there, looking at the ribbons she had won during her journey with Ash in Hoenn. She had to admit that she was proud of herself for her accomplishments. She had won the title of Princess of Hoenn after all the effort she put into it. She'd like to stay and tend to her duties but school had to come first. When summer came, which was not too far away, she would continue with where she last left off before the school year started. She heard her phone buzz and looked at it. It was a call from Dawn. She pressed the answer button and put the phone up to her ear.

"Hey Dawn, what is going on?"

"I just thought I would run something by you." Dawn said, her voice clearly in a panic.

"You don't sound too good. What's up?"

"You know what tomorrow is?"

"No, what is it?"

"Just look at the date."

May looked at the date that was on the calendar on a wall in her room. When she realized the date, her jaw dropped.

"Oh my, I didn't know what it was until now. Thanks for reminding me."

"No problem. Just be careful when school gets out tomorrow."

"Noted. Let's just hope we are still alive by the time we get home tomorrow."

May pressed the hang up button on her phone and put it down on her bed. She now was scared for school tomorrow. She had no idea how she would sleep tonight. Her little brother Max walked into the room and noticed her fearful expression.

"Hey sis, why do you look so scared?" Max asked his older sibling.

"It's nothing Max. It's just what tomorrow is going to be at school." May responded. Max heard what she said and immediately knew what she was talking about.

"It's the day the seniors haze all the lowerclassmen isn't it?" Max asked. May nodded her head. Max closed his eyes and pushed up his glasses with his index finger.

"Man, I'm sure glad my school doesn't have something like that." Max remarked. May looked at him with an unsure look.

"What do you mean Max? There are a couple of kids who treat you like crap at your school." May stated.

"Yeah, but I completely ignore them. It's not too hard really." Max replied. He turned around and put his arms behind his back.

"I just hope you get home in one piece tomorrow." May pressed her legs against her torso and wrapped her arms around them.

"Yeah, me too."

Meanwhile, a blonde inventor just got a call from Dawn himself. He was now scared, if not more than May was. Tomorrow was a day he dreaded, ever since it first happened in his Freshman year two years ago. He was in the same physical position as May. His little sister Bonnie came into the room and looked at him.

"What's wrong big brother?"

"Tomorrow. That's what's wrong." Clemont said, whimpering.

"What about tomorrow?"

"Look at the calendar." Clemont said, pointing at the calendar that was on his door. Bonnie looked up at the calendar and looked at the date that was the following day.

"Oh. I see. It's that day." Bonnie said. She remembered the days that Clemont came home from those instances.

"You'll be fine Clemont."

"What do you mean I'll be fine? I get a lot of disrespect on those days." Clemont said in a worried tone. Bonnie just rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry Clemont. If you've survived it the last couple of years, what makes you think you won't survive it this year?" Bonnie asked. Clemont saw that she had a point, but was still worried.

"That's true. But what happens if I don't make it this time around?"

"You'll live Clemont. I believe in you." Clemont took those words to heart. His little sister believed that he would get past all the hazing and ruckus tomorrow. That was enough to get him determined.

"Thanks Bonnie. You always know to say the right thing when I need it." Clemont said, calming down a bit. Bonnie came over and hugged him.

"Just stay focused. I wouldn't want to live in a world without my big brother." Bonnie stated. Clemont smiled and returned the hug. Bonnie released from the hug and then left his room. Clemont's look of fear changed into a happy one. He was set for tomorrow. He still felt a little nervous but it was mostly confidence he was feeling.

Meanwhile, Dawn just called Ash about the whole predicament that was going to occur tomorrow. Ash didn't feel nervous for it. Many people would describe him as fearless. This wasn't a day he felt scared about. Of course he dreaded it, mainly because he hated how the upperclassmen always tried to show their "power" as the "kings" and "queens" of the school. Just because you were in the highest grade doesn't mean you're stronger and better than everybody. Ash and his friends were all juniors and they knew that when this day came next year that they wouldn't take part in this. They would be the seniors that actually helped out the lowerclassmen. There were seniors now that went rogue and helped out the lowerclassmen get out of school "alive" as they called it. Ash respected those people, people who thought power wasn't everything. When it came to this day, the reason Ash wasn't nervous for it was because he would end up being the hero to many students during the whole event. He would be the one rescuing people left and right. So many that it would be ten times as much as the person who saved the next best amount of people. Sometimes when he was rescuing people he would either take the hit for them or have Pikachu threaten to thunderbolt them to a crisp. Even though it was against school rules to have Pokemon attack other students, they said nothing about giving them a good threat to cease their actions, and it usually worked. Ash looked down at his partner who was also looking at him in concern. Pikachu knew what day it was tomorrow, and he was just as ready as Ash was.

"Let's just keep our cool tomorrow, Pikachu. Save whoever we can and scare off anyone who dares to cause harm to another being." Ash told his buddy. Pikachu smiled and got in a battle stance, sparks emanating from his cheeks. Pikachu no doubt was ready for battle tomorrow, and it wasn't even a Pokemon battle in this case.

"It's going to be a hard day. But I'm ready. Those upperclassmen need to learn that you don't get away with something like this. I've survived it the last couple of years and I am determined to do the same this year. Whoever needs my help, I'll be there." Ash stated to himself. Pikachu was right there beside him, looking just as determined as his trainer. They've been through thick and thin many times. They could get past this situation again. Delia came up into the room, wondering what Ash was babbling to himself.

"Honey, what are you saying up here?"

"Oh, nothing mom. It's just that day again tomorrow."

"It's that time of the year again, huh? The day of hazing?" Ash nodded his head.

"It is mom. I'm not looking forward to it, but I'll get through it. I promise." Delia took this moment to hug her son. She loved how brave he always was and she was proud of him for it.

"You're not just my hero every day, but you will be for some other people tomorrow." Delia stated proudly. Ash could barely breathe because his mom was hugging him so tightly. She always did this to him. It didn't bother him though. He loved her bone crushing hugs, even if it meant he could faint from them. Delia let go of her son so he could breathe. She leaned down and kissed him on the forehead.

"Go get 'em!" Delia chanted. Ash smiled and his mom left the room. He didn't want tomorrow to come, but there was nothing he could do to stop it. He actually liked helping the other students get home safely on the day. When it came, he was ready for action.

Tomorrow came and Ash and Pikachu, like mentioned the previous night, were set for the day to come. They arrived at school about twenty minutes early and Ash had dropped Pikachu off in one of the nurseries and went to his locker and got set for school. School didn't start until a little later so he had time to do whatever. He went through how he would crack into action when school ended. He hoped that not only he survived the day, but all his friends as well, especially Clemont. Poor guy last couple years endured it as hard as some other kids, but he wasn't aware that Clemont was actually set for the chaos when school ended. Clemont wasn't the bravest when it came to this situation, but he survived the last couple of years didn't he? It's not like this event literally killed anybody, just harmed them to the point where they wished they were never born. Man, did he hate that.

Ash wondered if any of his friends knew about this day. Last year they weren't aware that this was an annual event so they weren't really prepared for it. It did happen in their freshman year but sophomore year caught them off guard. Ash had a feeling that if they were told, they would get situated for it. He definitely was. He had been set for it since last night when he found out. Dawn obviously knew because she was the one who called him to warn him about this very day, so he knew that much. He was so focused on the subject that he didn't see Shauna running up to him.

"Hey Ash."

"Oh Shauna, hey. What's up?"

"Have you heard?"

"Heard about what? Oh yeah, duh! Yeah I've heard about today."

"You scared?"

"Nah, I'm ready for it actually." A look of realization hit Shauna's face.

"Really?"

"Yeah. When Dawn told me yesterday I felt that I could overcome this whole thing."

"Can't say I'm surprised Ash. I always thought of you as brave." Ash rubbed the back of his neck and closed his eyes.

"Ah, think nothing of it. I wouldn't say I'm the bravest guy out there."

"You're braver than most people I know. Out of all of us, you're probably the most brave."

"Well, when you've been on so many journeys in so many regions and encounter all sorts of danger you kind of get used to this sort of thing." Ash explained.

"That's completely understandable." Shauna wrapped her arms around Ash and gave him a big hug. "I admire the kind of person you are. I wish I could be like you in some ways."

"Ah Shauna…"

"It's true! I wish I was."

"You can become like that if you tried your best to become a person you want to be. Only you can decide that." Shauna let go of Ash and looked straight at him.

"I'll take that to heart. Good luck today Ash." Shauna said and turned around and wave goodbye. She would see him later in the day. Shauna admitted she did have a little crush on Ash. She would've asked him to prom but she had already asked Clemont. Another reason was Serena wanting to ask Ash to prom because she had a crush on him. If Serena didn't have a crush on Ash, Shauna would have been the one to ask Ash to prom. Shauna only had a little crush on Ash prior to that. It wasn't a big one but enough of one to have the courage to ask him to something like that.

After that encounter, Ash decided he would get to class a little early. He really had nothing else to do. He could have done whatever, but he got over that.

The school day had a rather hostile aura looming in the air. A lot of the seniors were giving the lowerclassmen devious smirks. The looks on their faces spoke "Oh I'm gonna get you!" The freshman, sophomores, and juniors were all scared for their lives.

Serena noticed the seniors giving those looks. What was going on? Was there something she was not aware about? Did these students have grudges on the younger crowd? What did they do? Turn the tables on them somehow? She didn't have the faintest clue. Whatever it was, she just hoped that she wouldn't be involved. But, what were the odds of that happening?

Lunch came around and Serena had a change of plans. She thought she would sit outside and do some classwork. She wasn't really all that hungry but luckily the tree she was planning to sit under had apples in it. Yeah, surprise! The school planted that for such an occasion. She walked over and sat under the tree and opened her binder to see what she could do.

She went over her work and wrote or fixed her answers. She was currently working on her history assignments. She got a little behind on them so she needed this time to catch up on them. She erased one of her answers and quickly wrote in her new response. A boy with spiky brown hair and who wore a black shirt walked up to her.

"Hey there cutie!" Serena jumped a little, not realizing that the boy was standing there. She looked up at him.

"Oh, hi."

"What's a pretty thing like you sitting out here all alone?"

"Just catching up on my schoolwork is all. And what's with you giving me compliments?" The boy just chuckled and sat down next to her.

"I'm just playing around with you. I know you like Ashy boy." The boy responded. Serena was a little startled when she heard that he knew she liked Ash. He said "Ashy boy" so who else could he be talking about? And him saying she liked "Ashy boy" gave it away.

"H- h- how do you know I like Ash? And more importantly, how do you know Ash?" Serena asked, having little knowledge of who this guy was. But you could guess because, well, you know why.

"The answer to the first question is that my friend Dawn told me, and the answer to the second question is that I was Ash's rival during my journey here in Kanto and over in Johto." He replied. Serena heard of Ash mentioning the first rival he ever had, but his name escaped her.

"Who are you?" She asked. The boy straightened his position before answering.

"Have you heard of Professor Samuel Oak?"

"Yeah. His lab is not too far from my house."

"I'm his grandson, Gary." Now Serena recognized that name. She remembered all of the stories Ash told her about his encounters with Gary. He started out as a jerk but later respected him when the two met up in Sinnoh.

"I've heard of you. You used to be Ash's rival." Serena said, pointing a finger at Gary. Gary raised his hands up.

"Guilty as charged."

"Why did you treat him so badly?" Serena asked. She heard Ash's side of the story, but she wanted to hear from Gary's point of view.

"Well, at first, I didn't think he was all that great of a trainer. I got all my gym badges well ahead of him and he seemed to take forever to get his. We became trainers at the same time but I thought I was better than him at first because I obtained all my badges legitimately and on my first try. He on the other hand only got two legitimately and didn't' get any of them on the first try. I thought he would never achieve his dream. But later on, I thought that he wasn't as bad as I put him out to be. We're friends now. That rivalry is behind us."

Serena heard everything Gary had to say. He sure had a bunch to point out. She was glad that he was no longer rivals with Ash, so she had nothing against him anymore.

"That's good to hear. I'm happy you two get along together now." Serena stated.

"Well, he's a whole lot better as a trainer now than he was then. I mean, I've seen some of his battles on tv participating in the various leagues he was in. I know he has never won a league but how close he got every time impresses me." Gary looked over at Serena. He had told her about him and Ash, now he wanted to know about her and Ash.

"So how did you meet Ash?"

"I started coming here a few months back when my mom and I moved back here. And on my first day Ash helped me when no one else did." Serena explained. Gary no doubt wanted to know this next thing.

"So why do you like him?" Serena didn't hesitate with her answer, but she did take time to respond.

"It's just that he is so considerate, helpful, and selfless. I admire that he always puts others before himself. I love everything about him. I love how his hard work and determination drives him to succeed." Gary was surprised at her response.

"Wow! I've never heard anyone describe Ash like that. It even surprises me that there is a girl like you out there that has a crush on him." Gary stated.

"Yeah. I just… well… I just love his personality. That's what attracts me the most about him." Serena said.

"Does he know?" Gary asked.

"No he doesn't. But please don't tell him. I don't want him to know yet. I especially don't want anyone to tell him that I like him more than a friend." Serena pleaded. Gary made a zipping motion across his lips.

"Don't worry. My lips are sealed." He got up and stretched his arms. "All right I'm going to go now. Maybe I'll see you around school. Come talk to me if you need to all right?"

"Sure." Gary picked an apple off the tree above him and handed it to Serena. "Here. Thought you might need one." Serena thanked Gary and took the apple from his hand. Gary walked off afterwards and closed his eyes.

"Not bad Ash! She's definitely a keeper." Gary thought to himself.

A few more hours passed and it was nearing the end of school. Everyone was on the edge of their seat, either in a positive or negative way. The seniors were itching to get this torture underway, while the lowerclassmen were literally wanting to get the hell out of here before a world war would start. The seniors who were the good ones out of the bunch thought why the other ones thought this was a good idea. Why? Was harassing other kids such entertainment to them? If that was the case, that was just sickening. A lot of these seniors suffered this torture in the last three years. Why did they decide when they became seniors that they would join in? Victims turned villains seemed also pretty sickening to their minds. The good seniors were more than willing to help out the lowerclassmen with getting home safely. This wasn't something that they could prevent. The teachers couldn't do it because there would be so many students getting in trouble and they wouldn't be able to identify the ones who did so.

As the seconds ticked by on the clock, counting down the final moments of the school day, every student checked the time. The seniors would bring out their "weapons" while the lowerclassmen would book it and make a hasty attempt to get home in one piece.

This was it. Fifteen seconds left until school was out. The infamous hazing was about to begin.

10…

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

0!

The freshman, sophomores, and juniors bolted out of their seats and slammed the doors to their respective classrooms open. The seniors got out what they needed and simply walked out of the classrooms themselves with smirks on their faces. Hell was definitely going to break loose today!

Serena had just started making her way out of the school and on her way home. A lot of students were running around in a frenzy, apparently fearing something was about to happen. Serena didn't know what, but she didn't hear anything during school today, so she had no idea what it could have been.

"What is going on? Is there an Ursaring loose in the school or something?" Serena said to herself. Most of the students had scared looks on their faces while some had looks of determination, wanting to avoid what was about to happen. One of the students, a boy ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders, looking like his life was about to be cut short.

"You have to get out of here. It's about to happen." He said, clearly in a panicked state.

"What is going to happen?" Serena asked him. She was unclear on the whole event that was going on in front of her.

"Whatever you do, avoid the upperclassmen. This is the day, that… you know." He remarked.

"I actually have no clue what is going on right now." Serena replied back. This student must not know that she has only been going here for three months.

"Just avoid the upperclassmen at all costs." He instructed and ran off.

Serena was really confused right now. Was this a traditional event that happened at this school every year on this very day? She was warned to avoid the seniors of the school. But before she could think any further, she heard brief screams coming from many students, both male and female. After hearing that, she went behind the nearest wall and peered out to get a view of the chaos. Clearly there were some seniors throwing water balloons at the lowerclassmen. Not only that, there were some students being pinned to the wall for some apparent reason. Luckily, there were some brave students who either stood up to the seniors or rescued another. Serena knew she wasn't going to get home this way, so she had to find some way out of it before she became a victim. She started walking down the hallway she entered and scouted for a way to get out of here. She turned down hallways that were either empty or with some students unaware of her presence and she made her way through them without being noticed. She didn't want to admit it, but she felt pretty scared right now. She had that bad feeling that one upperclassmen was going to jump out and strike her.

"Just focus on getting out of here, be smart, and don't attract any unwanted attention." Serena said to herself.

She continued down numerous hallways and luckily didn't get noticed by any of the hazing seniors. She eventually found a path that would very much be her ticket to freedom. She made her way down the hallway, but, alas, it was too good to be true, as a senior jumped out fifteen feet in front of her, with a water balloon ready at the helm. A smirk played at his lips and prepared to strike. Serena whimpered at the sudden appearance of her attacker. She took a few steps back but realized that there was no way out for her, so she had to pray that he would miss her, but she had that thought that he had more ammo.

"Target acquired. You have nowhere to go, so you're out of luck." The boy said menacingly and wound up his arm backwards and threw the balloon. Serena had no choice but to stand there and hope that he overthrew it or didn't put enough effort in it. The balloon was coming at a good speed and was about to hit her. Serena closed her eyes and waited for the impact. But all of a sudden, a pair of arms wrapped around her and threw her backwards. She heard the water balloon burst and heard many splashes of water hit the floor around her. She opened her eyes and felt her clothes. No traces of water on it. Not one drop. Who had put themselves in harm's way just for her? She turned around and saw who took the hit.

It was Ash.

"Ash…"

"Just stay down!"

Many more water balloons were thrown in their direction, most of them hitting Ash in the back. Ash grunted when each one hit. Of course it was just water, but the impact of the balloon hitting him did sting a little bit. When it appeared that they were out of ammo. Ash spun Serena back around and faced the tormentors.

"My turn." The seniors looked at him as if he were crazy.

"Oh what could you possibly do to us?" Ash closed his eyes and smirked.

"This! Pikachu, threaten them with thunderbolt!" Pikachu jumped from behind Ash and let out enough electricity to threaten the tormentors, and luckily not enough to actually release and attack them. This proved to work as the seniors stepped back a couple feet and whimpered a bit.

"Yo- you- you are going to need more than a Pikachu to scare us away." One of the seniors said.

"Then here you go!" A voice shouted and jumped out and threw his Pokeball, releasing his Golem. Ash and Serena saw that it was Gary. Serena just met the guy and he was already showing to be a big help. The seniors then went back more steps than before. Gary turned his head towards the two.

"You guys find a way out of here. I'll hold them off." Gary commanded. Ash smiled and slightly tipped his cap.

"Thanks Gary! I owe you one." Ash stated.

"You can repay me by getting home safe. Now go. Run!" Gary shouted. Ash and Serena did as they were told and Ash grabbed Serena's hand and ran off in the opposite direction. They knew where the nearest exit was and hoped that it wasn't guarded. They found it and to their luck, there was no one there, with the exception of a few cowering lowerclassmen. Ash told them that there were no seniors in this part of the school and to go out the doors. The two of them, plus the cowering students, exited through the doors and noticed there were no seniors around. They breathed a sigh of relief. The now no longer scared students ran off in the direction of their home. Ash and Serena stood there and made sure there wasn't anyone around to pop out of nowhere and attack them. When the coast was clear, Ash grabbed Serena's shoulders and looked straight into her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine. Thanks for saving me in there."

"You're worth saving." Ash commented. Serena blushed a faint pink after he said that. She was lost in his soulful, amber brown eyes as he looked at her. She stared at them for a good period of time. Her knight in shining armor had just helped her in a situation that she was unaware about. She stared into his eyes for a good period of time and then hugged him.

"Thank you for being so brave. I wouldn't have made it out of there alone." Serena said.

"I'll never let you get hurt like that. You're too important to me." Ash stated. Serena's blush was now a bright red. Her rank of importance to him was far high. She felt the back of Ash's jacket and noticed it was drenched from the many water balloons that hit him. She released from the hug and took a look from the front. She saw a few spots wet but not as bad as the back.

"Your jacket is pretty soaked." Serena commented. Ash patted the back of his jacket and did feel how wet it was.

"Oh yeah. I must have gotten hit by quite a bit of water balloons in there." Ash stated.

"Come on. Let's go to your home and throw it in the dryer." Serena said and motioned him to come along.

Ten minutes later they walked into Ash's house and made their way to the laundry room. Serena opened the dryer and asked for Ash's jacket.

"Hand me your jacket." Serena asked. Ash took off his hat and then his jacket and handed it to Serena. He realized his black t-shirt was also wet after he took his jacket off.

"My shirt is wet too. Must have soaked through the jacket." Ash said. Seeing this, that needed to be dried as well.

"Give me your shirt too." Serena asked. Ash then took off his shirt and handed it to Serena. As soon as she grabbed his shirt, she stared at him. He was now shirtless, revealing his bare torso. It was so muscular, even his arms. Did he work out? She was staring at it for so long that she didn't know Ash saw her staring at him.

"Serena? Are you all right?" Ash asked her. She then heard him speak and snapped out of her trance.

"Oh yeah. Sorry. It was just… nothing." Serena responded. She then put his shirt in the dryer as well, blushing, half out of admiration, half out of embarrassment. She liked looking at his muscles, but him noticing her doing so kind of got her out of nowhere. She shook it off as he didn't seem bothered by it. She hoped she didn't come across as weird or a freak for looking at him like that. Pikachu looked at Ash with half closed eyes and a mischievous smirk. Ash looked at him and wondered why he was staring at him like that.

"What?" Pikachu kept on looking at him with the same look. Ash looked down at himself and realized why Pikachu was giving him that look.

"Oh wipe that grin off your face!" Ash said out loud. Pikachu looked away, smirk still on his face but his eyes were now closed.

"I guess I should make myself look decent." Ash said and went into his room and got a white t-shirt from his dresser and put it on while Serena turned on the dryer for twenty minutes. She walked into his room after doing so.

"Sorry for staring at you like that." She apologized.

"Oh, it's okay. I wasn't really complaining." Ash replied. Serena mentally sighed in relief. She got away with that one, and she was pleased with it. She sat down on his bed and took her fedora off.

"So that whole event at school today, does that happen every year?" She asked.

"Yeah. For some reason the seniors think it's cool to do something like that." Ash responded.

"I wish I knew that it was going to happen." Serena stated.

"Didn't Dawn call you?"

"No, why?" Ash now felt a little upset at Dawn for not warning Serena about what was going to happen today.

"Well she reminded everyone else. Why didn't she remind you?" Serena now felt a little hurt that Dawn didn't tell her about it. That upset her a little.

"Must have forgot or something." Serena replied.

"I'm going to have a talk with her tomorrow about that." Ash said.

A few hours later after getting his jacket and shirt dried and putting them back on, Ash had fallen asleep on his bed. Serena was sitting right next to him, checking her phone to see if she had any messages. There were none so she put it down. She felt a little tired herself so she laid on her side and crouched. Ash had fallen asleep about half an hour ago. He was probably tired from all the rescuing he did today. She loved how he selflessly saved her today. This was the man she had been dreaming for. A man that put everyone else's life before his own. That was why she admired him so much. She nudged him a few times to see if he was sound asleep and it appeared that he was, as he didn't respond. She remembered the last two times she was in a situation like this. The first time she kissed him while he was asleep, and the second time she cuddled with him while he was asleep. She thought that she would try something else this time, not as big as the other two but still with that romantic feeling. She reached out for his left hand and grabbed it. She opened it and put her fingers between his and clutched his hand tightly as she started holding it. She loved the feeling! Luckily he wasn't awake to catch this, but she looked at his face to make sure he didn't show any signs of knowing. He didn't so she sighed in relief. She smiled and closed her eyes as his body heat made her drowsy. She was definitely happy. Ash may not have known it but Serena did. She could sense that they were very close to having a relationship. That she was sure of.

 **Author's note:** Well how about that? After a long and enduring day the two end up resting next to each other. I liked how this chapter turned out. I also like how in the anime that Ash is so selfless, which gave me the idea for this chapter. I like how Ash always puts someone's life before his own, although that could get him into some serious danger one of these days. This probably ranks in the top 5 out of all the chapters I've written in my personal opinion. You guys are probably tired of hearing me say things like that every so often, so I'll leave you the preview of the next chapter if you're interested.

The last few nights Serena had been practicing the things she would say when she asked Ash to prom. She said it over and over again to make sure she didn't screw up at any point. She wanted to say it perfectly which means she didn't want to stutter, pause for long periods of time, or babble too much, nothing that would make it seem more difficult than it needed to be. Asking him would be difficult itself but she didn't want any of those actions to increase it.

"Next time you see him, ask him. You can't waste any more time with this." Serena said to herself. She was nervous but Ash was such a good friend to her that she didn't want to screw this up. She doubted that their friendship would go down the drain if she did but it probably would screw up her chances of being in a relationship with him. She would never let herself hear the end of it if that occurred.

"What if Miette already asked him? It has been a month since this whole prom thing started. And she said she would ask him if I took too long." She thought to herself. That was another thing that was also stressing her out. If Miette asked him by now, her mission would have proven pointless. She was dying for this. This would be a huge stepping stone for her being in a relationship with Ash.

Then she looked up and saw him not too far away from her, standing in front of his locker, alone. There was hardly anybody in the hallway but those that were there were nowhere near him. This was it, this was her chance. She had to do it. She took a deep breath and straightened herself out, making sure there was nothing wrong with her appearance. Ash probably wouldn't care but she wanted this to be perfect. She took another breath and started walking in his direction.

"It's now or never. It's do or die time." She thought to herself. She approached him which caught his attention. He turned so he was facing her.

"Hey Serena, what's up?" Ash asked.

"Nothing much. But there is something I wanted to ask you." Serena said and began to ask him the very important question.

 **Author's note:** Pretty good preview, huh? This is it. The next chapter Serena will be asking Ash to prom. Will he say yes? Will anything else happen? Sit tight and the answers will be revealed in the next installment. You all have a good Valentine's Day this Sunday and share it with that special someone close to your heart. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	11. The Moment of Truth

**TDBigJ's message:** Well, it's that time of the week again. Time for another update. Hooray! *Throws confetti* I hope you're all excited for this chapter, because from the preview in the last chapter you have a general idea of what is going to happen in this one. Time for the news portion of my message. This past Sunday, I released a Valentine's Day one-shot called "You Raise Me Up". It did pretty well, better than the Christmas one-shot that I did. I saw that a few of you who read this story read the Valentine's Day one-shot. Thank you for those of you who did. Second, tomorrow marks the American (or English) premiere of Pokemon XYZ and Hoopa and the Clash of Ages. I am excited for that. I'm pretty sure some of you have watched both in the Japanese dubbed English subbed version but I prefer the English version. Please don't jump me if that seems stupid. I've seen what people have said on the internet about the differences between the Japanese and English versions, so I know some people's opinions. And third, two of espeon44's OCs will be making their appearance this chapter, and yes, the one that will be dating Dawn is one of them. Whew, that was a long one. On to the responding of reviews.

 **Wolves22 (Guest #1):** I will gladly take your suggestion. That will actually be revealed in this chapter. Yeah, Serena better get her man. Well, I will be the one deciding it anyway but I won't keep it from you guys. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44 (To reviews and PMs for this story and Valentine's one-shot):** The answer will be revealed in this chapter so sit tight. That might happen for her but I'm not so sure. The other two questions, probably not. From your PMs, they might kiss, I'm not shooting it down. I will add your OCs to this story. And I already have a date lined up for Brock as it will be revealed in this chapter. Thanks for reading my Valentine's one-shot, I appreciate it. I hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for the reviews and PMs!

 **Marlins27 (Guest #2):** I do have him planned to be with someone at the prom, so don't worry. I plan on them being okay with it. I don't want to make the characters seem like homophobes. I will read some stories from the community. They won't be hurt. She actually does this chapter. She will tell them, but probably not as a scene in this story. I will make them know she is. Thanks for the review!

 **Warriors302311 (Guest #3):** No she probably won't. Yeah she probably will. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #4:** Glad to see you again, and you actually have a suggestion for me? About that, I've never really watched Naruto (Except maybe a few episodes) but I am aware that Naruto and Hinata are a couple. When it comes to doing a crossover with that pairing and amourshipping, since I've never really watched Naruto it may be difficult for me to do that. But luckily, I always like a good challenge, so I will consider doing that. Thanks for the review!

 **Blizzard21:** Glad you liked the chapter! I definitely have Ash planning on showing hints that he likes Serena more than a best friend. It wouldn't be right to not throw some in. I mean, he has to like her in that way in order for them to become a couple, right? Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

For Serena, this was the day. The day she would finally ask Ash to prom. A few nights back she had written what she wanted to say to him when she asked. She thought those words were perfect. May and Dawn had told her what she should say when the occasion arose. She appreciated the help they gave her. It was exactly the kinds of things she needed to say to him. She had been waiting a whole long month to do this, today was the day that it all came down to. If Ash said yes, she would no doubt be the most ecstatic girl in the whole school, if not, the world.

She woke up a half hour ago and prepared herself for the day. She had already gone through her morning routine of taking a shower and getting dressed. She checked the top of her shirt to see if she was wearing the blue ribbon. She wasn't but saw it on a table a few feet away and grabbed it and started tying it. She didn't want to forget that. That ribbon was the reason she came up with the words when she would ask him. That ribbon was the sole foundation of her crush on Ash. When he gave it to her at the fair not too long ago, the feelings she had for him increased dramatically. Every time his name appeared in her mind she would get Butterfrees in her stomach. She would envision many fantasies in which he would return her feelings whether it be like a fairy tale or a simple movie scene. A girl could dream couldn't she?

Serena was no doubt excited for today, although she was also pretty nervous. Today was the day. There was no tomorrow. She didn't want to wait another day to get the chance.

She walked downstairs and into the kitchen where her mother was. Grace, noticing how upbeat her daughter was at the moment, thought she would ask why she appeared that way.

"Hey honey, why do you look so happy?"

"Oh, no reason mom."

"Well, you can't just be happy for no reason."

"Mom, it's a secret."

"Oh."

Although to Grace, this wasn't a secret, she probably had a good guess as to why her daughter was in a cheerful mood. It wasn't really unclear as to why she was acting this way. Pretty much everyone Serena knew had a good idea that she was in love with a certain raven haired boy, except for the raven haired boy himself.

"It's no big deal then. If it's a secret then don't reveal it to me. It'd be kind of weird if you explained it to your mother." Grace stated. Serena rolled her eyes at this, even though her mother had a good point. She took a sip from the glass of orange juice she had just poured herself.

"So, prom is this Saturday. Are you going with anybody?" Grace asked. Serena didn't want her mother to know she liked someone, even though her mom already knew, but she didn't know that.

"Maybe." That was really all Serena could say. She refrained from giving out any clues about you know what.

"Maybe what?" Grace asked. Serena now was feeling pressured for what felt like the first time in a couple of weeks. Now her own mother was torturing to get something out of her about her supposed prom date. Why did everyone insist on doing this? Thing is, it was different from her friends than with her mother. Her friends knew she wanted to go with Ash while her mom didn't, she knew that much. She didn't notice her mom smirking from the corner of her eye. Just like Delia was with Ash, Grace could have fun with Serena when she wanted to.

"Nothing. Just do what you were doing." Grace said. Serena facepalmed afterwards.

"They just don't give up do they?" Serena quietly said to herself.

Twenty minutes later after she had arrived at school and getting her supplies ready, Serena sat down on a nearby bench in the hallway. She pinched her eyes with her index finger and thumb. Since she arrived at school she was now a little more nervous than she was this morning before she left. I guess it's more nerve wracking when you get to the place where you'll be asking than when you're at home or someplace else. Serena was still confident though, she didn't let the nervousness overpower her, she was a strong person, so that kind of thing she could overcome. Meanwhile, a certain blunette and an unknown girl saw her sitting there and saw her expression. They approached her to see if everything was fine.

"Hey Serena, you doing okay?" Dawn asked.

Serena nodded her head. "Yeah, I'm all right. It's just that there's something on my mind."

"What is it?"

"Well, you see, I plan on asking Ash to the prom today." Dawn's face lightened up. She was wondering when this was going to happen, and now it seemed she had her answer.

"Oh that's great! Are you nervous?"

"Just a little, but I'm mostly confident. Is there anything else I could do when I ask him?"

"Just don't feel or look nervous. If you need to take a pause between words, make it brief and don't stutter. You stick to that and you will be fine and Ash will most likely say yes." Dawn explained.

"Yeah, I am positive he will be yours if you do it right. Just stay focused." The girl next to Dawn said. Serena noticed this girl and realized she had never met her before. She was skinny, had pink hair and blue eyes, and wore a blue skirt and green shirt.

"Who are you? I don't think we've met." Serena asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Ally Santos. I've been going here for quite a while." She replied, holding out her hand.

"Well, I'm Serena. It's good to meet you." Serena said while shaking Ally's hand. "How come I haven't seen you around? You know Dawn, so how did you two meet?"

"We met a couple months back. Dawn came up to me when I had trouble with my schoolwork. In case you haven't known, I'm her date to the prom." Ally explained.

"Oh, so she's the one you've been talking about, right Dawn?"

"Yep."

Dawn felt scared over the thought that she was going to the prom with a girl. She wanted to see what her friends thought about it.

"Hey Serena?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it's wrong that I'm going to the prom with a girl?"

"Oh, no. Not to me. If you're happy with anyone regardless of gender, then go for it." Serena said.

"Thank goodness. At least there's one person okay with it."

"You shouldn't worry what other people think of you and who you're dating. It's not up to them. If they're not okay with it, tough. They'll have to live with it." Serena explained. Dawn then hugged Serena.

"Thanks! Those are the words of encouragement that I'll need." Dawn said.

"Well, I learned that from a special someone." Serena said. Dawn knew exactly who she was talking about.

"That you did."

"Well, I have to get to class now. I'll see you guys around lunchtime okay?" Ally mentioned.

"All right, we'll see you then." Dawn said and hugged Ally then Ally went to Serena and gave her one too. After the hug, Ally went off to her class.

"She sure seems friendly." Serena stated, pointing at Ally.

"Oh yeah, she's really friendly with everyone. She's easy to get along with." Dawn stated. "Should we be getting to class too?"

"Oh, right."

A few minutes later, the two arrived in their first class and took their seats. As soon as Serena sat down, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"There you are." Serena looked up and saw Ash. The second she looked at him, the Butterfrees in her stomach became more aggressive. Now that today was the day she was going to ask him, she felt extra nervous when she saw his face. Man this wasn't going to be easy.

"Hi Ash. How's your morning been?" Serena asked.

"I don't know. Could be better." Ash replied.

"Something happen?"

"Nah. It's just been a plain morning."

"I see. My morning hasn't been any different."

"I don't know. The day will just get better farther in I guess."

"I hope so." She said. And unknown to Ash, she meant that in a way he wouldn't expect, and he didn't notice her blush either.

The day progressed, and nothing else really happened. Ash's day was boring so far, but he wasn't complaining. He really didn't complain about a lot of things. When he was younger that seemed so, but that wasn't him now, he has matured now in so many ways, but in other ways, not so much. But basically, he has matured a lot more since he started his first journey here in Kanto back when he was ten. Not only was he much more mature, but he was a lot smarter at some things as well. I guess that's what happens when you get older, huh?

Ash was walking down the hallway during a passing period. He rubbed his face with his right hand and sighed. It sure felt like it was going to be a long day. Brock came up from behind him, and he looked like he was as happy as hell.

"Hey Ash, what's going on man?" Brock asked, slapping Ash on the back. The slap kind of jolted him into reality.

"Oh, hey Brock. You seem so happy, what's up?" Ash asked.

"I finally have a date for prom." Brock exclaimed.

"Really? Who is she?"

"Her name is Lucy. Remember her?"

Ash did in fact remember that girl that Brock helped during their Sinnoh journey a few years back. Ash was rather surprised that Brock did end up managing to get a date for prom, but he was not surprised that it was in fact Lucy. Lucy was really the only girl who ever returned Brock's feelings out of all the girls they encountered on their journeys. Brock didn't know she did but now he was in a reality that there was actually a female soul that felt love for him. Brock was in luck as he got a date for this weekend's prom.

"So, did you ask her or did she ask you?" Ash asked.

"She asked me." Brock answered. "Man, I'm so happy. I don't know what could make this day any better."

"I don't know what could. Good for you Brock!" Ash said as he patted his friend on the back.

"Thanks Ash. So, what about you?"

"About me what?"

"A date for prom. You got one yet?"

"Oh, no I haven't." Brock felt bad for Ash. He was still dateless for prom, and yet it was three days away. Was he really going to go alone? Did he even consider having a date? Had Serena asked him yet? If she did, did he say no? If she didn't, then, well, what explanation was there for that?

"Come on, Ash. Are you even going?" Brock asked.

"Of course I'm going. But, I'm not so sure if I want a date or not." Ash responded. Brock was hoping many things for his friend right now. He wasn't going to force Ash to get a date, it wasn't up to him if Ash went alone or with a date, but he really wanted to see Ash go with someone, Serena especially. Like the others, Brock thought that the two of them would make a great couple. He didn't want to make just Ash happy, but Serena as well. Seeing as Serena was the one with the crush, he would of loved to see her happy. He liked making his friends happy, he always did it on his journeys with Ash, and he was sure to do it during his school life as well.

"Well, whatever you do is up to you. I'm not going to tell you what to do. But whatever happens, I'm here for you." Brock stated.

"I appreciate it Brock. I've got to get to class. I'll see you at lunch." Ash said and walked at a faster pace so that he was getting ahead of Brock.

Lunchtime came and so came that break for every student. Some students rushed to the lunchroom. Some of those didn't see lunch as the best part of their day and just simply walked there. Some students talked about prom on the way there. Some were talking about their dates, some talked about what they would do there. Topics such as came up:

"I'm going with the hottest/cutest guy/girl in school."

"I got a tux/dress for the prom."

"I'm going alone."

The first topic was the one that was asked the most. Most of the students said they went with the hottest or cutest boy or girl in the school. Of course that was their opinion. Who knew who the most attractive person in the school was? Not like it mattered or anything, but liking someone just because of their looks did not sit well with some people, but did those mentioning such a thing really care? All they cared about was their reputation or the fact that going with someone with such appeal was an achievement to them. There were those people who thought personality was the most attractive aspect of a person. Serena was one of them.

Serena always liked Ash's personality, that was what she admired about him the most. It wasn't his looks that made her have a crush on him, it was his inner self she liked. Don't get her wrong, she thought Ash was a cute guy, but she didn't love him for that. His determination, his selflessness, his kindness, the list goes on. She thought that true love came from the person on the inside, not from the looks on the outside.

She was walking to meet up with her friends in the commons area. She needed to stop by her locker first and drop off a few things she didn't need for her next class. She finished up and sat down on the bench next to her locker. She flipped through her binder and see if everything was in order. She heard footsteps coming toward her. She looked up and saw May and a mystery boy holding hands with her. He was a skinny guy with black hair and black eyes and wore a red shirt and red pants.

"You doing okay, Serena?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"Nothing. You seem a little nervous."

"How can you tell?"

"Dawn told me about what you were going to do today." Serena closed her eyes and sighed. Now she had to explain everything to May.

"I'm guessing she told you that I was going to ask Ash to prom today, is that it?" Serena asked. May nodded her head in response.

"Yeah." Serena sighed again and looked down at her feet.

"Maybe this is becoming too much." May looked at her confused.

"Serena, come on. We all have dates except you and Ash. Even Brock has a date for crying out loud. When are you two going to get together?" May asked.

"Trust me, I really do want to go with him. But I want to do it on my own. I felt confident when I woke up this morning, but once I got to school I felt a little more nervous. But I still feel like I can tell him." Serena explained. The boy who was with May put a hand on Serena's shoulder.

"Look, I know it's hard. May seemed nervous when she asked me, isn't that right, May?"

"I was, believe me."

"But thing is, I still said yes. I ignored the fact that she was nervous and gave her an answer. Even if you're nervous when you ask him, think about how he feels about you now. If you're good friends with him, then what are the odds of him saying no?" He explained. Serena now was feeling just as confident as she was this morning before school. This guy gave her a good heads up. She now had confidence, whether she was nervous or not when she asked Ash, she hardly felt any negativity when the opportunity turned up.

"Thanks, um, what's your name?"

The boy held out his hand. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Shadow, Shadow Santos."

"Santos. Isn't that Ally's last name?" Serena thought to herself.

Serena shook his hand in return. "Are you related to Ally Santos by any chance?"

"Yeah, she's my sister. You probably heard she is going with your friend Dawn to prom haven't you?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah. I found that out this morning when her and Dawn talked to me." Serena responded.

"I see."

"She does seem nice."

"Oh yeah, she gets along well with everybody."

"Baby, I think we should be getting to the lunchroom. Everybody is probably there right now."

"Right. Well Serena, I'll see you later okay?" Shadow said.

"Sure." Serena responded.

After they had left, Serena had continued looking through her binder to see if everything was organized. She flipped through three times to make sure. After she was finished, she thought about the extra advice she was given today alone. That she really needed. She felt more comfortable now. She decided that before lunch ended she was going to ask him. That was less than a half hour away, so she needed to calm herself down a little before she would do it.

Meanwhile, Ash was thinking about the conversation he had with Brock a little while ago. Every one of his friends had dates for prom, except him. He knew Serena didn't have one either but he didn't know the reason why. Ash wondered why she didn't. Did she want to go alone? He thought about going by himself initially, and plus all his friends were asking that too. He hadn't thought of that. If Serena was going alone, why didn't she tell anybody? He threw that one away as he realized that she would have told him and the others if she was going alone. He needed to know if she was, so he finished up his food and threw it away and went to look for her. But he thought he would stop by his locker first beforehand. He had to check something before he would start finding her.

The last few nights Serena had been practicing the things she would say when she asked Ash to prom. She said it over and over again to make sure she didn't screw up at any point. She wanted to say it perfectly which means she didn't want to stutter, pause for long periods of time, or babble too much, nothing that would make it seem more difficult than it needed to be. Asking him would be difficult itself but she didn't want any of those actions to increase it.

"Next time you see him, ask him. You can't waste any more time with this." Serena said to herself. She was nervous but Ash was such a good friend to her that she didn't want to screw this up. She doubted that their friendship would go down the drain if she did but it probably would screw up her chances of being in a relationship with him. She would never let herself hear the end of it if that occurred.

"What if Miette already asked him? It has been a month since this whole prom thing started. And she said she would ask him if I took too long." She thought to herself. That was another thing that was also stressing her out. If Miette asked him by now, her mission would have proven pointless. She was dying for this. This would be a huge stepping stone for her being in a relationship with Ash.

Then she looked up and saw him not too far away from her, standing in front of his locker, alone. There was hardly anybody in the hallway but those that were there were nowhere near him. This was it, this was her chance. She had to do it. She took a deep breath and straightened herself out, making sure there was nothing wrong with her appearance. Ash probably wouldn't care but she wanted this to be perfect. She took another breath and started walking in his direction.

"It's now or never. It's do or die time." She thought to herself. She approached him which caught his attention. He turned so he was facing her.

"Hey Serena, what's up?" Ash asked.

"Nothing much. But there is something I wanted to ask you." Serena said and began to ask him the very important question.

She took a deep breath and made sure Ash was looking straight at her. She wanted to make sure he heard every word she said.

"Ash, ever since I moved here, the Saturdays that we've spent together have been very fun, and I look forward to every one as the week goes on. Those days mean the most to me. I like how you've been the only one whose been doing that with me since I moved here, and also how you were the only one who was willing to help me on my first day. You being so courteous to take some time out of your day to be with me has meant a lot. And I've been wanting to ask this for a while now, and I just want to know…

Will you go to the prom with me?"

Ash was surprised to hear those words come out of her mouth. Now he knew why she didn't have a date yet, it was because she wanted him to go with her. It seemed she thought this long and clearly, as she explained all the time she has spent with him in the last few months. They really meant a lot to her. Thing was, it did to him too. He continued looking at her straight in the eyes and smiled and gave her his answer.

"I'd love to Serena."

"EEEEEEEEEP!" Serena thought to herself.

It was right then and there that Serena lost it mentally. Her crush accepted her invitation to be his prom date. She was very ecstatic, but she decided not to show it as she didn't want him to know how happy she felt, at least not in that way. She thought she would do something a little simpler. She slammed into a hug with him after being silent for a few seconds.

"Thanks Ash! I hope we'll have a good time." Ash returned the hug. She didn't know it, but he felt happy about this too. He now had a date. Now his friends could stop pestering him about it, and Serena was thinking the exact same thing.

"I know we will." Ash replied. After they released from the hug, Serena regained her posture. Serena brushed her hair with her right hand and seeing as there was nothing else to say, now was the time to say goodbye.

"So I'll see you later on then?"

"Absolutely."

After the two parted ways, Ash had a wave of thoughts cloud his mind. He now had a date for prom, and it was with his best friend. He was more than happy to take her, but he wondered why she took so long. Since it was only a few days away, only a handful of students who wanted a date had time left. The first thing that came to his mind was thinking that she was probably nervous. But why? He didn't know for sure if she was. But he didn't need to know, it was none of his business. He continued walking away, but he was now happy that he was making his best friend happy. He just didn't know how much.

When he got home later on that day, he went up to his room and sat down on his bed. He had more to think about from earlier. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and looked at him. His trainer was smiling, looking down at the floor. Pikachu was a little perplexed. He never saw his buddy looking down at the floor like that.

"Pika?" Ash looked at Pikachu, not realizing that Pikachu was standing there or even the fact that he hopped off his shoulder.

"Oh sorry, Pikachu. I was just thinking about something."

"Pika, pika pi?"

"I guess you haven't found out yet, buddy. Today, Serena asked me to be her date to the prom and I said yes." Pikachu's face lighted up. His partner is actually going to the prom with Serena. Pikachu put on the same look he gave Ash a couple days ago when the whole shirt thing happened. Ash noticed the look Pikachu had.

"You're giving me that look again." Ash stated.

"Pika pi."

"Thing is Pikachu, she asked me. I get that we're best friends and all but why did she take so long? Nothing wrong with it, but since prom is only three days away, something must have kept her from doing it. But what?"

But there was something Ash was feeling, something he never felt before. It wasn't strong but it seemed like it was starting. He knew they were going just as friends, but as of late, he was feeling different around her, what was it?

"Could it be love?"

Meanwhile, a little down the way, Serena herself had just got home. The whole walk she was gushing over the fact that Ash said yes. She was too happy that she couldn't describe it in words. She went up to her room and fell down on her bed, spread eagled, with a huge smile to complement how she was feeling right now. Fennekin emerged from her Pokeball and noticed how ecstatic her trainer was. She walked over to her trainer and put her right paw on her left shoulder. Serena opened her eyes and saw Fennekin right next to her and stroked her head.

"Oh Fennekin, the best thing happened to me today."

"Fen?"

"Okay, maybe not the best thing but the next best thing. Ash agreed to be my prom date this Saturday." Fennekin smiled and jumped in the air.

"Fenne!"

"I know! It's so great! Nothing could ruin my happiness right now."

Serena jumped off her bed and threw her hat in the air. She extended her arms and spun around her room. After hearing what was going on, Grace had come up the stairs and saw her daughter dancing around her room.

"Something happen today?" Serena immediately stopped spinning after hearing her mother, who was standing there in her doorway. She blushed out of embarrassment. Should she tell her mom what occurred? Maybe she should. There was no way out of it.

"Oh, uh, yeah mom. Something did."

"Well, tell me."

"I finally got a date for prom."

"Oh really? Who is it?"

"Ash. I asked him and he said yes."

Grace then thought to herself. "Really? Wow! He is going with her. Doesn't surprise me though. I know how she feels about him."

"Good for you honey. I hope you two have fun this Saturday."

Serena was now blushing out of excitement. "I know we will."

After that, Grace turned around and smirked to herself.

"I knew this was going to happen. Just wait until it becomes more."

 **Author's note:** Well how about that? Time finally came for Serena to ask Ash and he said yes. But, did you really think he was going to say no? I bet even in the anime he wouldn't say no. All right! The two are going to prom together. What is in store for the next chapter? If you want to find out, read the preview.

Serena could hardly contain her excitement. Tomorrow was almost here, and that marked the day for prom. The hype was almost explosive for everybody. Since it was the day before, pretty much everybody was talking about it. Not one second passed where no one didn't say a word.

All her friends had found about her and Ash going together. They couldn't be more happy for the both of them, although they stayed quiet about it, as they didn't want Ash to know that they knew the whole time. They didn't want to spill the beans that she liked him more than what he thought she did.

The past couple of days, Serena heard a lot from her friends about how it was great that she finally got the courage and asked Ash. They heard from both sides what they felt about it. Ash's response was simple, while Serena's was beyond jubilant. Serena didn't want anyone unnecessary to know about it though, just her friends, that was it.

School had just ended and Serena was beginning to start her way home. Most of the school had already emptied. She didn't want to rush out this time. She was ecstatic about the thought that tomorrow was the day. Having a dance with the boy of her dreams was going to be a night she wouldn't forget forever.

She agreed to walk home with Ash today. And she was looking for him at the moment as she went down every hallway to see where he was. Some hallways were occupied with few students who wanted to catch up with their friends. She must have been down twenty hallways since she started looking for him.

"Ash, where are you?" She said to herself.

She looked down a few more hallways. Nothing. Just empty. She approached another one until she heard something.

"Can you believe he said yes to her?"

 **Author's note:** What's this about? Is it about her and Ash? Is it bad? Whatever happens, it will in the next chapter. I will see you in a week. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	12. The More Things Change

**TDBigJ's message:** Here we are again. Another update. The week seems to fly by, doesn't it? Oh well, keeping you guys entertained is my goal, and I enjoy doing it. But in the last week, I have gotten wide eyes from what has been going on with this story. Since I last updated, this story got a whopping twenty seven reviews, the most I've got in that span of time, fifteen of them for the last chapter. Sorry if I seem to be bragging, I'm not one that takes a fancy to that. The thing that surprises me is that author's whose work I've liked up to this point have given this story a favorite and/or follow. I will tell you guys that in the responding of reviews, which will happen right now! And seeing as there are twenty seven reviews to respond to, this might take a while.

 **Jaguars5 (Guest #1):** I will have her dress revealed in the prom chapter, which will be a couple of chapters from now. No, I don't think anyone will hate Ally. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44:** That could be something I can put into the prom chapter a couple chapters from now. I don't think guys will hit on her, seeing as who her prom date is. Thanks for the review!

 **Wolves22 (Guest #2):** Don't worry, I will put a brief moment into the prom chapter for every couple of them dancing. Espeon44 gave me OC's who will be Ally and Shadow's parents so you will be seeing them a couple chapters from now. I will try to squeeze a special moment for them later on. Thanks for the review!

 **Pokemonmeat:** Oops, I forgot to put that in, thanks for telling me. Good thing it's not a problem. Sorry if the preview freaked you out. Just to warn you, this chapter will be nowhere near as happy-go-lucky as some others have. I hope you don't hate me after this chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Klay (Guest #3):** I could squeeze that in, as mentioned above, as well for the other two. Ash will most likely meet the Santos siblings. Not to worry, no one will bully her. Thanks for the review!

 **Portland0 (Guest #4):** No, she probably won't. Yeah he will, as mentioned above. Don't worry, they will be fine with it. Thanks for the review!

 **Cavaliers23 (Guest #5):** He most likely will. No, probably not. He might be in the prom chapter, but just to be there. I can probably fit that into the prom chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Thunder35 (Guest #6):** Seeing as this is a romance fic, she most likely will. Of course she can. Probably not besides going to prom together, I don't really have anything lined up for them, but I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #7:** I will keep up the good amourshipping work. Thanks for the review!

 **Xavier (Guest #8):** Not to burst your bubble, but I don't feel comfortable making a lemon. I just couldn't write anything that kinky. I hate to shoot you down like that, and I hate saying no. He will meet Ally, as mentioned above. Thanks for the review!

 **Mad Ass Dragon:** Whoa! You read and reviewed every chapter within a few days? Wow! Kudos! Since you reviewed every chapter, I might as well respond to all of them.

 **C1:** Glad I have someone else on board! Thanks for saying this is a good first attempt at a Pokemon story!

 **C2:** Glad you liked the chapter! I don't mind you being a supporter of that pairing. I personally don't ship Serena with anyone else other than Ash. Yeah, I like moments that happen that way too.

 **C3:** Good to know it was a touching chapter.

 **C4:** So this was your favorite chapter so far? Good. It's one of my personal favorites as well.

 **C5:** It had a lot of sweetness, huh? Well, that's good. I planned on putting a lot of sugar on that chapter. Sorry if I put you in a diabetic coma because of it.

 **C6:** Yeah, Paul does need his ass kicked in battle, doesn't he? More or less a six on six battle.

 **C7:** Oh crap! You will be coming for me if I put you in a diabetic coma? Don't worry, I would never kill Pikachu off. But you've probably already found out.

 **C8:** Woo, I'm glad I dodged that bullet. Yeah, it seems I've been doing that a lot haven't I?

 **C9:** No, no, of course not. I would never do that to anyone.

 **C10:** I like that type of scene as well. And yeah, I like how she did that as well. Their hormones could be kicking in.

 **C11:** NO! NO! WHAT HAVE I DONE? I PUT YOU IN A BAD MEDICAL CONDITION SO THAT YOU KNOW SPEAK THROUGH A MACHINE! WHAT HAVE I DONE? Well, thank you for saying this is your favorite Pokemon high school story. I do this to entertain people, but thank you. I don't think anything considered "adult" will be shown between them, they likely could become a couple by the end. Crap! Now that you sent that threat, I am now afraid for my life. Oh well, can't say that I don't deserve it. I can tell that by the end of this story, one of us is going to be dead. And after this chapter, I am pretty sure that threat is going to happen for real. Thanks for reading and reviewing all the chapters!

 **Eddy (Guest #9):** As mentioned above, he most likely won't. Thanks for the review!

 **Marcus (Guest #10):** That probably won't happen but I appreciate the suggestion. Thanks for the review!

 **Blizzard21:** I'm not sure if you'll like this chapter, so I'm not sure if you'll like. And if you're wanting to know how long the chapter will be, I plan on making every chapter at least a 4,000 word minimum. Every chapter so far (Except #4) has been that long or longer. The epilogue probably won't be that long though, just to give you a heads up. This chapter happens to be over 6,100 words in case you were wondering. Thanks for the review!

 **Jetfire101 (Guest #11):** Thanks for sending me your Xbox gamertag, and thanks for the review!

 **Nexxus176 (To both reviews):** You laughed when you saw Mr. MacIntosh? That's interesting. Oh great! Now I got someone else sending me a death threat. I guess I shouldn't take a week to update. Anyway, thanks for the reviews!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

One more day, one more day and prom would be here. The sun rose up, showing that it was Friday morning. Knowing some people who were excited for tomorrow, couldn't wait for today to be over, even though it just started. Serena especially was one of those people. Right when morning hit, she jumped out of her bed and opened the windows in her room. Fennekin noticed the bright light and rubbed her eye with her paw.

"Rise and shine, Fennekin. Today's going to be a great day!" Serena chimed joyously. She definitely was happy. Ever since the events of yesterday happened, Serena didn't let one second pass where she wasn't happy.

"I can't believe he said yes! I can hardly contain my excitement right now."

Fennekin enjoyed seeing her trainer in such high spirits. Since she heard the news, she was so full of energy, more so than usual. If she could talk, she would have told her to stop talking on numerous occasions. It was amazing that she got some sleep last night, Serena especially. She jumped up onto Serena's bed, next to her. Serena saw Fennekin on her bed and smiled and stroked her head.

Serena sped through her morning routine. She really went through it so fast that she set a record for herself. She went so fast down the stairs that she nearly tripped and fell on her face. She giggled and straightened herself out. Grace noticed how chipper Serena was and how she almost fell down the stairs.

"Slow down there. Don't want to be hurt for the prom now do we?"

"Yeah, I suppose. I'm just very excited."

"It's because you're going with Ash, is it?" Serena gasped. Since she didn't know her mom knew she had a crush on Ash, so this was a surprise to her.

"Wh- what do y-you mean mom?"

"I guess we're doing this now then." Grace thought to herself.

"Look honey, I've known for a while. I don't think any less of you for it." Grace said. Serena was still confused as to how her mom knew.

"I don't get where you're going mom." Serena stated, trying to cover this whole thing up.

"I know you have a crush on your friend. It really isn't a secret." Serena sighed at this. Now she was going to have to explain this to her mother.

"How long have you known?"

"Since that night we had dinner together with him and his mom." Serena's eyes widened at that moment. She's known THAT long? That was a while ago.

"You've known for three months?"

"I've seen the way you look at him whenever he speaks to you and when he compliments you. Trust me, it's clear." Grace explained.

"I'm that easy to read, huh?" Serena asked.

"I'm your mother, I've been able to read you like that for sixteen years."

"Not just by you, but by other people." Serena said. Her mother looked at her questioningly.

"What do you mean?"

"Thing is, my friends know, you know. Everybody is finding out I have a crush on Ash…

"Except Ash himself." The look on Grace's face remained.

"Ash doesn't know?" Serena shook her head.

"No. Unfortunately."

"How could that be?"

"I don't know. He's just dense." Grace turned her head the other way.

"That must be a downside."

"Well, mostly. But his denseness is kind of cute." Serena said, smile reappearing on her face.

"Don't worry honey, he will find out eventually." Serena closed her eyes, smile still there.

"I hope so." Grace smiled, but had a warning to tell her.

"Me too. But I'm hoping that if you two do get together that you won't "do" anything soon. I'm too young to be a grandmother." That struck Serena, as it sent a jolt up her spine. A shocked expression and a blush appeared on her face.

"MOOOOOOM!"

"Ha, ha, ha!"

Meanwhile over at Ash's house, he was sipping on a glass of orange juice while he had a couple of toaster pastries in the toaster. His mom wasn't downstairs yet. That was a rarity. His mom always beat him downstairs, but he guessed that she was a little behind today. He wasn't complaining. He was enjoying the solitude.

Since he was all alone, he had been thinking since he got down here. He was thinking of how happy Serena was when he agreed he would be her date to prom yesterday. He really liked making people happy, especially her.

"Wait? Especially?" Ash thought to himself. He loved making everybody happy, why was she much more special? Sure the title of best friend came to mind, but was that really it? Lately, Ash had been feeling different about Serena. When by different, he meant "more than a friend." Ash knew that for his whole life that he wasn't the romantic type, but at some point he was going to have to learn. Since she was the one that asked him, did that mean she felt differently too?

"Did she ask someone else but get turned down?" He continued thinking. He didn't know for sure. He shook those thoughts aside as that didn't seem likely.

"Why would someone turn her down? Serena is kind, gentle, smart, pretty-"

Ash slapped himself in the face. He was now thinking this? Since when did he think that way about her? He was now getting confused. Maybe he WAS starting to feel different about her. No. Just thinking those words didn't mean he liked her more than he did. Or did it? No, it didn't. Actually, maybe it did. Did it? Ash clutched the sides of his head and grunted in frustration. This was all perplexing him to an extent. This was all new to him. Since it was, his train of thought became entangled like a Tangela.

"For crying out loud, what is going on with me?" Ash quietly said. Many thoughts were racing across that brain of his. Why was he thinking this way now? Puberty? Oh geez, heavens no! Anything but that. He was sixteen so why was it hitting now? Maybe it wasn't that. At least he hoped it wasn't. His train of thought was soon interrupted when his toaster pastries popped up.

"Oh, thank goodness! At least eating can make me think clearly." Ash said to himself. He grabbed one of them and took a bite out of it. If anything could calm him down, it was food, no doubt about it. The look stayed on his face. Delia came down and saw her son eating but with an unusual look on his face.

"Hey honey, what's wrong?" Delia asked.

"I've just been thinking, mom."

"About what?" Ash, even though he was thinking of an unfamiliar subject, chose to tell his mom anyway.

"Have you ever felt different around somebody?"

"You're going to need to be clearer if you want my take." Ash didn't want to get too detailed about it, but what choice did he have?

"Around… somebody… like… a friend." Delia looked up and tapped her chin with her pointer finger.

"That depends, is this friend a girl?"

Ash sighed. "Yes."

"Then I might know what you're feeling."

"Good, because I'm not understanding what I'm feeling."

"What do you mean?"

"It's something I've never felt before. I'm still new to this sort of thing." Delia smiled and looked at her son.

"Does it happen to be love?"

"No, I mean, I… don't know."

Delia was sure what he was feeling and she knew that he has never experienced it. She also knew it wasn't something he cared about, at least, not until now. She had knowledge of the subject of love, so she could help Ash out.

"Let me guess, does this friend happen to be Serena?"

Ash sighed and paused for a moment. "Yeah."

"Well, from what I can tell, you're getting to that stage in life where you start having feelings like this. You're a teenager so thinking that about that stuff never interested you when you were a kid. But now that you're at the age group, it might be kicking in." Ash somewhat had an idea of what his mom was talking about, but he still was confused.

"What does that mean, mom?"

Delia went up to her son and grabbed his shoulders. "You're sixteen years old, Ash. Sixteen is about the age where a person starts dating. Some people do it sooner, but most people wait until they're sixteen. Since you're at that age now, your thoughts about love and being in a relationship is starting to change."

"But, why am I feeling these towards Serena, out of everybody?" Ash asked.

"It's because she's your best friend and you have a unique connection with her. I've seen the difference of the friendship you have with her and your other friends. It's completely different. From what I've seen when you've two hung out that you and her share something special." Delia explained.

"But she's my best friend. Why would her and I get in a relationship?"

"Ash, there are a lot of people who are best friends that end up being a couple. A lot of relationships actually happen that way." Delia stated.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Do you have romantic feelings for her?"

"I'm not really sure, mom. This is something I've never experienced before. It's just confusing me right now."

"Look at me." Ash looked straight into his mom's eyes. "I know you're all new to this. I understand your confusion. Every teenager feels it. Don't feel like it makes you a different person, because it happens to everybody. It doesn't change who you are."

Ash had to admit, his mom was right. Besides the fact he was set on his dream of becoming a Pokemon master, the reason he passed on the idea of love in the past was because he thought people would think different of him. He didn't want those he cared about to think he focused mainly on something like this, to make them think he would get distracted by it.

"Okay mom, I think I get it now."

"All right honey, just remember that." Ash gulped down the last of his orange juice and grabbed the lone toaster pastry that was left, grabbed his binder, and rushed out of the house.

"I'll see you after school. Thanks for the talk." Ash called from the front door.

"Anytime." Delia said from the kitchen.

Ash got to school really fast. So quickly that he was one the first ones there, and the fact it didn't start for another half hour. He rushed to his locker and got prepared. When he got there, since it was eternity before school was to begin, he thought he would walk around and think more about what his mom had told him before he left.

"Do I really feel this way about Serena?" He thought. "She really is someone special, no denying it. But does she feel the same about me? What if she doesn't? Will she think I'm weird for doing it? I can't throw away a good friendship over that.

For what seemed like minutes, Ash thought about this. He needed more advice, mainly from someone who knew a thing or two about romance. Maybe Brock. From the many times he traveled with the guy he thought Brock would be a good source. But at the same time, would it really? Well, since he has a prom date, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea. So he thought he would ask Brock before prom tomorrow, just so he could have a general idea of what he's thinking about. A blonde inventor came from behind him and put his hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Hey Ash." Ash turned and saw Clemont there.

"Oh, hey Clemont."

"Ready for tomorrow?"

"I'm not as excited as most people, but yeah."

Clemont put his hands in his pockets and looked up. "I never thought I would say this, but I'm so hyped up for it. Something like this usually wouldn't entice me, but I'm feeling different about it."

"Great! Clemont is feeling this too. At least I'm not the only one." Ash thought.

"Same here."

A thought came into his mind. And since he was with Clemont, this was something he could relate to.

"Hey Clemont?"

"Yeah?"

"When Shauna asked you to prom, how did you feel?" Clemont was surprised that Ash was the one to ask this. He started to panic a little. This wasn't something he was prepared for. He eased himself a little before answering.

"To be honest, it shocked me. A girl asking me to be her date for anything isn't something I feel comfortable with yet. I know I'm getting to the point where I should, but that just isn't me right now. But I'm glad that she did. I was more than willing to be her date. And I was actually pretty happy. Even though I planned on going alone, I didn't want to turn a good friend like her down, so I accepted."

It seemed like Clemont and Ash were almost similar. They weren't romance buffs, they felt the same whenever a situation like this occurred, and more importantly, they were both a bit dense.

"Did you ever, feel differently about her after she asked you?" Ash asked.

"What do you mean?" Clemont asked, not knowing Ash had more to know. Ash, knowing what Clemont was like, decided to ignore this one.

"Never mind. You don't have to answer." Clemont breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing the time, he had to rush off somewhere.

"I have to go. I promised Shadow I would help him with him math. He's struggling with it." Clemont said.

"All right man, I will see you a little later." Ash replied, and bumped fists with Clemont.

"See you later." Clemont said and ran off in the opposite direction.

After Clemont had left, Ash was alone now and he continued what he was thinking prior to the encounter. Prom was tomorrow, and he wanted to make Serena's time special. But there was one thing that he didn't realize.

He wasn't that great of a dancer.

Actually, he had an idea. He would ask Dawn to see if she knew and if she could teach him. He hoped she could, because he didn't want Serena to think he was a lousy dancer and he wanted to give her a special night. But he didn't think she would care, but it still mattered to him that he learned. He continued walking, but kept his mind off prom for the meantime, he didn't want to be distracted.

On the other side of the school, Serena had just arrived at school, in a somewhat opposite mood of what Ash was currently feeling. She was spinning around many times on her walk to school. She didn't care if people stared at her. She wanted to show her happiness as much as she could, regardless if other people found it weird.

When she asked Ash on Wednesday, she felt proud of herself. It wasn't easy to do it, but she grew the strength and did it, and it paid off. Her mom this morning seemed to make a big deal out of it, but to Serena, it pretty much was. Of course, being her mother, she almost caused Serena to have a heart attack after she mentioned the "grandmother" part of her statement. Serena wasn't that stupid. If she ever got with Ash that would have to take time. It wasn't going to be something considered right off the bat, Serena wasn't that kind of girl, and Ash for sure wasn't that kind of guy, so her mom didn't have to worry about being a grandmother anytime soon, or in the next year or two, so she didn't know why her mom would have that kind of thought.

After stopping by her locker and getting her stuff ready, Serena decided that she would walk around campus by herself. She didn't want any company around, which was odd for her. She did it a lot yesterday as well. She wanted to show her happiness in private, but at the same time, she didn't care.

The school day had gone by rather quickly, much to the joy of most of the students. Who had barged a lot bigger out of the classrooms than they usually did. A bunch of students flooded the hallways and immediately went to discussing about tomorrow night. It was that much closer now. Everyone was in high spirits, especially you know who.

Serena could hardly contain her excitement. Tomorrow was almost here, and that marked the day for prom. The hype was almost explosive for everybody. Since it was the day before, pretty much everybody was talking about it. Not one second passed where no one didn't say a word.

All her friends had found about her and Ash going together. They couldn't be more happy for the both of them, although they stayed quiet about it, as they didn't want Ash to know that they knew the whole time. They didn't want to spill the beans that she liked him more than what he thought she did.

The past couple of days, Serena heard a lot from her friends about how it was great that she finally got the courage and asked Ash. They heard from both sides what they felt about it. Ash's response was simple, while Serena's was beyond jubilant. Serena didn't want anyone unnecessary to know about it though, just her friends, that was it.

School had just ended and Serena was beginning to start her way home. Most of the school had already emptied. She didn't want to rush out this time. She was ecstatic about the thought that tomorrow was the day. Having a dance with the boy of her dreams was going to be a night she wouldn't forget forever.

She agreed to walk home with Ash today. And she was looking for him at the moment as she went down every hallway to see where he was. Some hallways were occupied with few students who wanted to catch up with their friends. She must have been down twenty hallways since she started looking for him.

"Ash, where are you?" She said to herself.

She looked down a few more hallways. Nothing. Just empty. She approached another one until she heard something.

"Can you believe he said yes to her?"

"Wait, what?" Serena whispered to herself and hid behind the wall so she wouldn't be seen.

"Ash is going with her? Why?" One girl said.

"He can do so much better than her." Said another one.

"I don't know. That girl he's going with, whatever her name is, is a complete waste of his time. He shouldn't have agreed to go with her."

"I don't know why I didn't ask him. I'm much more of somebody than her."

Serena had heard all these comments. Why were they saying them? She felt a little hurt that they were saying that about her.

"I've liked Ash for a while now. I should have gone up to him and asked him. I know him, he probably would have said yes." One said.

"Whoever that girl is, she can drop dead for all I care."

After she heard all those words, Serena's eyes filled with tears. These girls, who for some reason thought her going with Ash to prom was a stupid idea. She closed her eyes and let a few drops out. She was hurt by those words. She covered her face with her hand to hide her sadness as she let a few more escape. Earlier, she didn't care if anyone saw her, but now, she did. Since her face was concealed, she didn't see Ash approaching her.

"There you are. Ready to walk home?" Ash asked. Serena uncovered her face and saw Ash there. After what just happened, she actually didn't want to see him right now. Ash noticed her tears and his expression changed.

"Serena, is everything all right?" Serena covered her face with her binder and looked away.

"Sorry Ash, I can't see you right now." After that she ran off, confusing Ash, who tried to stop her.

"Serena, stop! What's wrong?"

She continued to run until she reached the outside of the school. She leaned on the wall next to the doors and slid down to a sitting position, keeping her face covered as she let out some more tears. Ash, who had been bewildered by Serena's sudden course of action, ran off after her and emerged from the school's front doors and saw her sitting there upset.

"Serena, why did you run off like that?"

As soon as she heard Ash's voice she got back up and ran off again. Ash wanted to help her out and chased after her. He wanted to help her out, but unknown to him, he would be the last person able to help her.

Serena kept running until she reached the forest. She looked behind her to see if Ash was there. He wasn't, so she walked into the foliage of trees so he'd have less chances of finding her. She didn't know where to go, just anywhere where she could be alone. But she then thought about the one place Ash took to her a few weeks ago. The field where he told her she could come to if she ever needed to relax. She headed off towards there, needing some time to cry alone. No one, especially Ash, needed to see her like this.

She walked for a few minutes and reached the field. She went to the middle of the hill and sat down and put her binder on the ground next to her and buried her head in her arms and resumed sobbing.

"Why could this be? Was it wrong asking him? How did they know?" She said to herself. There was something she was feeling, and it was doubt. The girls made her feel like having a crush on Ash was ridiculous. She looked out into the field at all the flowers in that one large area. It didn't help her at all. It didn't make her relax, it didn't relieve the stress, or keep the tears from falling. This was the worst she has felt in a while.

Meanwhile, Ash had entered the forest to look for her. He didn't want to get home until she explained why she ran off crying. He hated seeing her like that. She was the last person he wanted to see upset, especially if it was him she was upset about. He looked around for about ten minutes trying to find her. No luck. He didn't have an idea of where she could be. Unless…

"Wait! Maybe she could be there." He said to himself and ran off in that direction. He sprinted and turned past every tree he came across just so he could get to her quicker. He needed to find her. He then entered the field and saw her sitting there a few feet away.

"Hey there you are. Why'd you run off?" Ash asked. Serena looked up from her lap after hearing Ash, before she could answer, she grabbed her binder, got up and ran past him again and back into the forest. Ash was now more confused. She ran off a third time. Ash then thought that since it happened and the fact that she wouldn't even speak a word to him, maybe she was upset because of him.

"Serena, whatever it is, I'm sorry." Ash called out but Serena was already far into the forest to the point where she either didn't hear him or she ignored him. Ash, seeing this turning into a pointless endeavor, thought he would put this aside until later and put his binder by his side and put his other hand into his pocket, looked down, and started walking home. He was now thinking as to why she would be upset with him. He didn't know why she was. Did he do something recently? Ash now started to feel down. Seeing as his best friend was upset and probably because of him, he had no reason to feel happy right now.

As soon as Serena lost sight of Ash, she slowed her pace to a walk. She didn't want him to catch up again. She walked the rest of the way home. As soon as she got home, she slammed the door open, ran up the stairs into her room, and threw her binder and hat down and slammed face first into her bed and let the tears come down faster. Her mom noticed her barge into the house upset and came upstairs to see what was wrong.

"Serena, are you okay?"

"I want to be alone mom."

Grace realized the whine in Serena's voice and knew there was something wrong.

"Honey, you can talk to me." Serena waved her hand at her mother signaling her to go away. Seeing as her daughter didn't want to talk, she walked away and thought she would check on her again later.

Serena turned her head so her face was towards the wall. Her face was completely drenched from all the tears. She sniffled and wiped her nose with the top of her hand. She was so depressed that she didn't even want to acknowledge anybody, speak, or even move.

This was the worst moment she has experienced in a while, and she felt like it wasn't going to end.

A little ways away, Ash had just entered his home and went up to his room. He placed his binder down on his dresser and sat down on his bed. He put his free hand in his other pocket but not before taking his hat off and placing it next to him. He had been thinking of Serena the whole way home. Thinking of what he could have done to make her upset. She has not once been upset at him since they met, so what did he do now that made her act that way? Pikachu hopped down onto the bed. He had taken notice of the whole situation and was feeling sad as well. She was a close friend of his buddy, so he felt almost as bad for her as Ash did.

"I don't know what I did, Pikachu. I must have done something. But what?"

"Pika."

"Do you think I did something?"

"Pika Pi."

"I need to talk to her. I want to know what I did wrong. If she's upset because of me, I need to make it right. She's my best friend. I don't want her to be upset because of something I did. I need to know, before tomorrow night."

 **Author's note:** *Sigh* That was a depressing chapter. I personally didn't really care for this chapter, you know the plot and all. Since things have taken a turn for the worse, did the chance of Ash and Serena becoming a couple lessen? I hope not. Will the two even go to prom together now? I sure hope so, and you guys are probably thinking the same, but what do I know? I'm not a psychic. I'm thinking you guys might hate me now. If you guys want to see if things will get better, here's the preview.

Ash checked his phone to see if Serena answered any of his texts. Nope. Nothing. He tried calling her numerous times, but she never answered once. Just like her, he had been sitting in his room all morning, but for a totally different reason. He was completely worried. She hasn't spoken a word to him since yesterday. And he couldn't help but feel like this was all his fault.

When he tried to talk to her after school yesterday, she ran off three times and it appeared she was crying, and seeing as she wouldn't respond to his concern, he felt like he did something wrong. But he had no idea what he did.

This was Serena. The one girl who he grew so attached to as of late. For a few months since she moved here he saw her as just his best friend, but recently, there was a new thing growing inside him, feelings that felt like it was supposed to be more. In the past, Ash would be clueless to things like this, but everyone matures at some point. He liked to see her happy. Her laugh brightened his day. Her sweet personality was "intoxicating" so to speak. He liked that about her, seeing as she was the happiest of people when in the best mood.

He was beginning to think. Why would she be running away from him of all people? That was something else that came to mind. She never ran away from anyone else when she was upset, so why him? Perhaps, did she feel different about him too? Did she like him more than he thought he did? He hasn't seen her show any hints since he first met her, but, thing was, he was an oblivious person up until now. He just wanted to know? Did she? If that was the case, he could now possibly know why she was in a horrible mood.

He was upset with himself now. He needed to talk to someone. He knew she wasn't a good choice, but who else? Maybe her mom would understand this whole situation if he told her. He thought that she would have noticed Serena upset when she got home yesterday, so he felt like she was the right person to talk to. So he picked up his hat, put on his shoes, and left his room, motioning Pikachu to come with him.

He needed some answers, and fast, because he had something else to do to prepare for tonight.

 **Author's note:** Hm? This seems a little interesting. What will Ash bring up in his conversation with Grace? And what is this thing he has to do before prom starts? If you desperately want these questions answered, don't leave that seat because the next update could be here before you know it. You could have been sitting at your computer for a whole week without realizing it when it comes. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	13. Getting Some Answers

**TDBigJ's message:** Well here we are, update number, uh, something. I can't remember. Oh that's right, number thirteen, or twelve, whether you consider the first chapter or not. Here is that update after a week that seemed forever to pass by. Okay, it really went by quick for me, but I don't know for you guys, it's different for everybody. I'm glad to say that this story is nearing the one hundred review mark, only eight more and then we'll reach it. It seems that most of the reviews for this story are from guests, but I don't really care. As long as somebody is leaving their thoughts, it doesn't matter to me. It pains me to say this. This story only has two chapters left after this one. I won't spoil the plot for the next one. I'll leave that in the preview at the end of the chapter. And the last one is going to be an epilogue. I appreciate that you've all given me so much inspiration since day one that it will hurt me when this all ends in two weeks. But don't worry, this won't be my only Pokemon multi chapter fic, I've got lots more planned for the future, especially for amourshipping. Well, now let's get to the responding of reviews.

 **Wolves22 (Guest #1):** Well, I can't really think of anything to say for that. Don't worry, Dawn won't get teased. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44:** He will get some help from them, and she probably will by the end of this story. Thanks for the review!

 **Jaguars5 (Guest #2):** As mentioned above, they will get some help from them, but one of them will be helping Ash in some way near the end of the chapter. No, they aren't dense, that's what Ash is. LOL! Thanks for the review!

 **Marcus (Guest #3):** I can tell you that each couple in this story will meet one of their parents in the next chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Pokemonmeat:** Yeah I kind of think I made her overreact at what happened. I might of done the same thing if I were in the Pokemon universe. Thanks for the review!

 **Blizzard21:** Oh, good. Someone did end up liking the chapter. You made some very good points there. Every relationship does end up having some ups and downs every now and then, and it seems that adding a sad moment in a story kind of gives it a decent worked plot. Every story needs a climax, because there might be some people pointing out that there wasn't a turning point in the story if it jumped from one good thing to the next and that is how the story ends. You can't do that with a story, because that is not how it works, it needs that one sad moment to make things slide along well. Thanks for raising my spirits and liking the chapter and for the review!

 **Xavier (Guest #4):** All I have to say is thatyou'll have to wait and see in the next two chapters. FINALLY, someone asked that. I've been waiting for someone to ask me that. The reason I am a huge fan of amourshipping is because is that while I've been growing up, whenever I watched a tv show that I liked and one of the main female characters had a crush on the main male character, I ended up hugely supporting that pairing, and seeing as Serena has a huge crush on Ash, it fits what I've seen my whole life. And in my honest opinion, I think amourshipping has the best storyline out of all of the pairings I've seen throughout my life. Seeing as Ash and Serena met each other in their childhood and were best friends at the time, I think that is a great story for two people to eventually fall in love someday. Yeah, call me a sissy for thinking that, but it's who I am. Amourshipping is one of the reasons I got back into Pokemon. Not the main reason but one of the reasons. Thanks for asking me that question. I'm serious when I say I've been dying for someone to ask me why I like amourshipping so much. Thanks for the review!

 **Portland0 (Guest #5):** Of course we will see love. This is a romance story after all. And yes, Ally does have siblings. Shadow, remember? Thanks for the review!

 **Klay (Guest #6):** I hate to say no, but that probably won't happen. I can tell you that every pairing will have a special moment in the next two chapters. Yes, they will dance. I don't plan on putting him in the story, so that pretty much won't happen. Thanks for the review!

 **MadAssDragon:** Uh oh! I pissed you off again. I'm screwed! Oh, you thought it was an okay chapter, oh, thank you! I at least want a chapter to be okay. Oh, amourshipping is actually your favorite pairing? I guess I shouldn't jump to conclusions. I hate it when I do that. It's good that you try to be different and write a story about Red and Serena. I mean, I will never do something like that, but I admire you being different. It's good to be different. That is a pretty great plot you have there for your stories. I agree that Serena is the best female character on the show, but I may be being biased since I support amourshipping. Thanks for the review!

 **Nexxus176:** Glad you like my writing style! I never have had a comment like that, so thanks. Don't worry about your vampire, it's not that bad. By the way, I have one of your stories on my ipod: Strength of Ones Heart. It seems like a good story so I'll give it a read. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #7:** Glad to do that crossover fic for you. It'll be a good challenge for me. But since it is a challenge, it might take a while for me to make. Thanks for the review!

 **Epicocity:** Thanks! Believe it or not, I've been needing some constructive criticism. Thanks for the review!

 **Cavaliers23 (Guest #8):** Those will be answered in the final two chapters. Thanks for the review!

 **Phillies (Guest #9):** Those will be revealed soon. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

In the phone conversation, Brock's lines will be in _italics_ while Ash's will be in **bold**.

It had been a hard day so far for Serena. The events of yesterday were still playing in her mind, and they still hurt. She laid there in her bed, still in her clothes from yesterday. She didn't even bother to change last night into her pajamas since she was so depressed.

She had been thinking about the sad moment from the previous day numerous times. Since she had been, she cried every time when it concluded. Why did those girls mock the thought of her going to prom with Ash? She didn't even know them. But did Ash?

She then thought about the whole prom thing. Now that she knew some people were against the idea, she was beginning to doubt why she had asked him in the first place. Was it a mistake? Was this whole crush thing a mistake? Every question that popped in her mind made her even more upset. She didn't want to be more upset than she should have been, but her mind was in overdrive that she couldn't stop the thoughts from coming in.

Every so often since she got home yesterday, Ash had been sending texts and trying to call her. Seeing as she has been upset since then, she didn't reply or answer any of them, also the fact that the subject of why she was upset was because of him. Not that he caused it. It wasn't his fault at all. Whenever those girls came across her mind, she felt sad and angry, both at the same time. Her mom came up on occasion to check on her to see if she was okay. She gave a sad moan as a response every time. She knew her mom was feeling worried, and due to the situation, she knew Ash was probably worried as well. But what could she say to them? She wouldn't know what to say and she has barely spoken a word since she got home yesterday.

Fennekin was also feeling worried for Serena. Serena hadn't spoken to her either. Whenever she went up onto her bed to try and help her out, Serena barely turned her head or an eye to notice her there. Serena knew she was worrying all her family and friends, but what could she do? Fennekin went in front of her to get her attention. Serena, without even moving her eyes, gently patted the top of Fennekin's head. She didn't want Fennekin or anybody to know that she was totally blind to what was going around her because of her sadness. Believe it or not, she was aware of those trying to talk to her, she was just too upset to even respond with a simple "I'm fine" or "I'll be okay."

This was becoming too much. And it was all happening too fast.

Dawn tried calling Serena, but just like to Ash, she didn't answer. Ash had called Dawn and told her what happened. Dawn was shocked to have learned what occurred. Dawn told Ash that it probably wasn't his fault, but Ash always insisted it was. Dawn told him to not blame himself, because what were the odds of it being his fault, with how good friends he and Serena were? She said to him that he shouldn't worry, but Ash didn't really seem to hold it back. Dawn tried texting her to see if she would respond. Ally was right by her side, spectating the whole thing. She only met Serena a few days ago, but she was just as worried as everyone else.

"Is she doing okay?" Ally asked, putting a hand on Dawn's left shoulder.

"No. She isn't answering any of my calls or texts. She must be really upset." Dawn responded. Ally looked down. Since she just recently met Serena, she didn't really know what kind of person she was.

"I just wish I knew what made her so upset, so that way we could all help her through with this." Dawn stated.

"Only if she would tell us, but she barely will speak a word to any of us, let alone text us." Ally replied.

Dawn sighed. "I really feel bad for her. I'd like to give whoever made her feel this way a piece of my mind."

"What if Ash did it?" Ally asked.

"I doubt Ash did anything, but if he did, I will just have to talk to him about it." Dawn answered.

Ally wrapped her arms around Dawn and gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "Don't worry, whatever happens, I'm pretty sure she will get through this."

"I sure hope so." Dawn replied.

"Who knows, maybe Ash will be the one that breaks her out of this." Dawn turned towards Ally.

"What makes you think so?"

"From what you told me about Ash, I know for sure he is going to bring her spirits back up."

Dawn kept looking at her, unsure what Ally was trying to do here. "How?"

"I can tell Ash is a smart guy. He's going to come up with something. If anyone is going to help her, it's him." Ally stated. Dawn smiled after hearing Ally's explanation. She leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the forehead.

"I'm glad you think so. And you are right, Ash will think of some way to make her happy again."

"Let's just hope it happens by tonight in time for prom. I bet Ash doesn't want to end up going alone." Ally responded.

"I hope so." Dawn said.

May and Shadow had heard about it as well. Pretty much everyone knew about this whole situation. When one of them tried to call or text Serena, they didn't get a response, so they all called or texted Ash to see if he knew and he explained. They were shocked by what happened. They all knew or had a feeling that even after Ash had told them about it that it wasn't his fault. After May and Shadow had tried to contact her, they were now feeling just as bad for her as everyone else. They were just like Dawn and Ally, May was close friends with Serena as Shadow barely knew her, but at least he now knew something about her.

"Man, this bites. I'd hate to feel her pain right now." Shadow stated. May looked at him and put her left hand on top of his.

"We all would. And besides, I don't think you would ever make me feel that way." May replied. Shadow looked into her eyes and smiled.

"No way in hell would I do that to you. You're too special to me." Shadow commented. May planted a kiss on his cheek and snuggled into his shoulder.

"Thanks! I wouldn't do that to you either." May said.

"But, if Ash is special to Serena, then why is she upset because of him?"

"What do you mean, May?" May got up from Shadow's shoulder and sat up.

"Well, if it's the same between us as it is between them, wouldn't the same happen to us?" Shadow looked at her, confused as to why she would bring that up.

"It might be different for other couples. I'm not saying it's guaranteed, but it just because it happens to them doesn't mean it will happen to us." Shadow explained.

"Well if you put it that way." May stated.

"Even if we do, that doesn't mean things will always end up with the worst result. For example, breaking up." Shadow said.

"I see what you're saying, but go on."

"Every relationship has it's ups and downs. Sooner or later the whole thing will blow over and the couple will be good again." Shadow said. He was right. There was no relationship that was perfect, no matter how much you thought it was. Every couple goes through hardships during a relationship, and seeing as the couple are a team, they will eventually work things out, hopefully with no breakup or divorce as a result.

"Shadow?"

"Yeah?"

May put her hands on Shadow's shoulders. "Whatever happens with us in the future, let's just promise that we'll stay together, no matter how hard times get. I don't want to be separated from you, ever!" May explained.

"I get what you're saying." Shadow said, nodding his head.

"I mean it, just promise me, okay?" May asked. Shadow wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.

"I promise. Nothing will happen to us." Shadow stated as May kissed him on the cheek and returned the hug.

After Clemont heard what happened, he felt sorry for Serena. He felt bad for Ash as well, but it was Serena he felt worse for, mainly because she was the one that got hurt.

After he got off the phone with Ash, he felt a wave of sorrow hit him. He found out one of his best friends was hurt for some unknown reason. He now feared the worst for both her and Ash. Since she wasn't talking to anybody, he had the thought that the two of them wouldn't be going to prom together. Clemont didn't want that to happen. Everyone one of his friends including him was going with a date, but if Ash ended up going by himself because Serena was too depressed to go, that just wouldn't feel right.

"Poor Serena. I hope she gets better by tonight."

He sighed. He didn't think this would happen. After coming up the stairs and seeing her brother looking glum, she thought she would come in and talk to him.

"Hey Clemont, is something wrong?" Bonnie asked. Clemont popped his head up when he heard her voice.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Something is." Clemont answered.

"What happened?" Bonnie asked.

"Something happened after school yesterday." Bonnie thought that something had happened to him, regarding you know what.

"Did Shauna cancel as your prom date?" Bonnie asked, sounding like she had a feeling something like this would happen to him.

"What? No. That isn't it." Clemont responded, waving his hands in front of him.

"Oh, sorry."

Clemont looked down at the floor. "But I know one person that might be doing that exact same thing to their prom date, and she's been looking forward to this day more than anybody."

"Really? Who?" Bonnie asked, concerned about who would be doing this. She knew all his friends, so she probably would be surprised to who it would be.

"Serena." Bonnie gasped as her eyes widened. She knew Serena pretty well, and she knew that Serena had a crush on Ash, so seeing as what was going on, she saw this as big news.

"Really? Why would she be cancelling on Ash? She loves the guy!" Bonnie exclaimed.

"I'm not saying she cancelled on him, I'm just saying she might end up doing so." Clemont replied.

"Why? What happened to her?" Bonnie asked in a worried tone.

"Ash called me and told me that something upset her after school yesterday and she ran away from him crying. He tried asking her why she was upset, but she wouldn't tell him. We're all trying to contact her but she won't answer to any of us." Clemont explained. Bonnie's look turned to sadness. She loved the idea of Serena and Ash being a thing, so she was pretty devastated to hear this.

"Oh no! I feel so bad for her. I'd like to yell at whoever did this to her." Bonnie said with a look changing from sad to angry before that last part. She looked up at Clemont. "Do you have any idea who did it?"

"During my call with Ash, he told me he thinks he did it, but I doubt it. Ash wouldn't be someone to do something like that." Clemont explained. Bonnie nodded her head in agreement.

"Yeah. That doesn't seem like Ash. He's too kind and caring to do such a thing." Bonnie responded. She looked at her feet and clicked them together. "I wish there was something we could do."

"Same here, Bonnie. But seeing as she won't even respond to us, that might be hard for us to do." Clemont stated. "It just wouldn't feel right if they were the only couple out of all of us that won't end up going together. Ash might go by himself if this doesn't blow over by tonight."

"I'm crossing my fingers for this one. Let's pray for a miracle." Bonnie said while crossing her fingers and getting down from the bed and leaving.

"Yeah, miracle." Clemont said to himself.

He thought that if Ash and Serena didn't end up going as a couple, that he would tell Shauna for the sake of them that they shouldn't go together either, but he didn't want to flake on Shauna like that, he was lucky enough to have a prom date and he didn't want that to go to waste.

Man did he hope for a miracle. All of them were. There was only a limited amount of time to do so. Prom was a mere seven hours away. It needed to happen FAST. It needed to happen NOW.

Meanwhile, Ash was at home, talking to Brock over the phone. The two of them had been talking for over fifteen minutes. Ash, seeing as Brock was crazy on the idea of love, and had some wise words about it, thought he would discuss with him about the current situation.

" _This is bad, Ash. She won't talk to any of us so we can't help her."_

" **I need to get through to her somehow. But how?"**

" _To be honest Ash, I don't have a clue on what you or any of us could do."_

" **Nothing comes to mind for me either."**

" _You're a smart guy Ash. I'm pretty sure you're going to think of something."_

" **You sure?"**

" _I'm sure. She has a better connection with you than with any of us, so you could be the one that ends up fixing this."_

" **I hope so. She's my best friend. She is the last person I'd want to see like this."**

" _Serena would love hearing that from you. Just come up with something and hope it works."_

" **Thanks Brock."**

" _No problem, buddy. I'll see you tonight."_

Ash pressed the "end call" function on his phone's screen after Brock did. Ash was feeling really bad about this. Serena wouldn't talk to him at all since he got home yesterday. He spent most of his time in his room thinking over the events of yesterday. He would come down to eat when he needed to but came straight back upstairs when he was done eating to continue his thinking prior to eating.

He had talked to all of his friends over the friends over what happened. He thought Serena wouldn't appreciate him telling everybody about it, but they needed to know, he wanted to see if they could help out. But they all said they didn't have an idea and that he could be the one that breaks her out of this. Ash was up to the task of being the savior of this predicament, even if he caused it himself, which he thought on many occasions.

He was feeling bad about this. He felt mad at himself. But thing is, why? What did he do to make Serena feel upset? Was it really his fault? He wanted to know for sure. But how could he know if she never responded to him? All his friends wanted to know why he was blaming himself for everything. Why wouldn't he blame himself? Ash never placed blame on anybody. Well, he used to be like that, but that was the past. And she ran away from him, which she's never done before, so what was he supposed to think? His friends told him "don't think the worst" and he knew they were right, but why did these thoughts still plague him? He just didn't want to think about them anymore, simple as that.

Ash checked his phone to see if Serena answered any of his texts. Nope. Nothing. He tried calling her numerous times, but she never answered once. Just like her, he had been sitting in his room all morning, but for a totally different reason. He was completely worried. She hasn't spoken a word to him since yesterday. And he couldn't help but feel like this was all his fault.

When he tried to talk to her after school yesterday, she ran off three times and it appeared she was crying, and seeing as she wouldn't respond to his concern, he felt like he did something wrong. But he had no idea what he did.

This was Serena. The one girl who he grew so attached to as of late. For a few months since she moved here he saw her as just his best friend, but recently, there was a new thing growing inside him, feelings that felt like it was supposed to be more. In the past, Ash would be clueless to things like this, but everyone matures at some point. He liked to see her happy. Her laugh brightened his day. Her sweet personality was "intoxicating" so to speak. He liked that about her, seeing as she was the happiest of people when in the best mood.

He was beginning to think. Why would she be running away from him of all people? That was something else that came to mind. She never ran away from anyone else when she was upset, so why him? Perhaps, did she feel different about him too? Did she like him more than he thought he did? He hasn't seen her show any hints since he first met her, but, thing was, he was an oblivious person up until now. He just wanted to know? Did she? If that was the case, he could now possibly know why she was in a horrible mood.

He was upset with himself now. He needed to talk to someone. He knew she wasn't a good choice, but who else? Maybe her mom would understand this whole situation if he told her. He thought that she would have noticed Serena upset when she got home yesterday, so he felt like she was the right person to talk to. So he picked up his hat, put on his shoes, and left his room, motioning Pikachu to come with him.

He needed some answers, and fast, because he had something else to do to prepare for tonight.

After reaching the bottom of the stairs and making his way towards the door, his mom saw him and wondered what he was doing.

"Where are you going, Ash?" Delia asked, stopping Ash as soon as his hand touched the doorknob.

"I'm going over to Serena's to talk to her mom." Ash answered without turning his head. He continued to turn the doorknob until his mom stopped him again.

"Why are you going to talk to her?" Delia asked, a little confused as where he was going.

"She pretty much knows Serena was upset when she got home yesterday, so I want to see if I can get any help from her. See if she has an understanding." Ash replied. Delia thought that was a good enough reason to go talk to Serena's mom. She knew what was going on, so it was good to see her son going to great lengths to try and resolve the situation.

"Okay honey, it's good that you're doing that. Go do what you need to do." Delia responded and Ash opened the door and made his way over.

He knocked on the front door as he approached it. Within a second, Grace opened the door. She was surprised to see Ash there, but put a smile on her face anyway.

"Hey Ash, what are you doing here?"

"Hey Grace. Do you have a moment to talk?" Ash asked. Grace was a little surprised, but she thought it would be good to do so.

"Sure come on in." Ash walked in and walked into the living room and sat down on the couch. Grace had gone into the kitchen to retrieve something. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder onto the spot next to him. Ash rubbed the top of his head. Grace returned with a kettle and two cups and set them down on the table in front of them.

"I'd thought we could have a cup of tea while we're talking." Grace said as she poured some into each cup. She sat down and looked at Ash.

"Okay, what is it that you want to talk about?" Ash straightened his position on the couch and took off his hat.

"I just wanted to talk about Serena. Seeing as you probably noticed she came home upset yesterday, I felt like you would be the best person to go to." Ash answered. Grace raised an eyebrow.

"Why me? Why not her?"

"Thing is, I tried calling her and texting her but she won't respond to anything." Grace looked at him for a moment and then turned her head the other way.

"She must be that upset. She won't even talk to me either. She's only said one thing to me since she got home yesterday and that was right when she got in her room." Grace explained. This surprised Ash.

"She won't even talk to you?" Grace shook her head.

"Just that one thing. That was it." Ash put his face in his hand.

"Man, I've really screwed up big." Grace looked at him with a confused expression. She didn't understand what he said.

"What do you mean?" Ash uncovered his face and looked at her.

"I feel she's upset because of me." He said. Grace's look remained.

"Why would she be upset because of you?"

"I'm guessing since she hasn't talked to you at all, that you don't know what happened." Ash stated.

"Well, what happened at school? Maybe I could help you out if I knew." Grace said. Ash took a deep breath and took a drink of his tea and answered.

"Serena and I agreed that we would walk home together after school. I went looking for her after the final bell rang and when I found her she seemed upset and I saw some tears in her eyes, and then she ran away from me, saying that she couldn't see me at that moment. I found her and tried to ask her a couple times after that, but she ran away from me each time. And since I got home yesterday, I've been thinking that I did something wrong, but I couldn't figure out what." Ash explained.

Grace was a little stunned from the story. So now she knew why Serena was down in the dumps. She was a little surprised that Ash thought it was because of him. But seeing as he didn't know why, she kind of had an idea what to tell him.

"Wow! I'm so sorry that happened between the two of you. But, there is something I need to tell you. Might help you out."

"What is it?" Ash asked, now giving Grace his full attention.

"If you can't figure out why she is upset with you, then it may be because you're not the one that caused her to be this way." Grace stated.

"Huh?"

"Serena may not be sad because of something you did. It may be because of something someone said about her." Grace stated. Ash didn't understand it quite yet, but was getting a good picture.

"So, what?" Ash asked.

"There is a good possibility that someone else caused her to be upset because of something you or her did." Grace replied.

Ash was now beginning to know what she was saying. Maybe it wasn't him Serena was upset about. He had been thinking this whole time it was his fault, but now, he thought there was a chance that it wasn't.

"So you're saying she might not be upset because of me?" Ash asked.

"There might be that chance. But I don't know for sure. I've been wrong before." Grace responded.

Ash had a beacon of hope enter his mind. If Serena was not sad because of him, then maybe this whole thing could blow over by tonight. But he had to be aware that it might not be the case. But he crossed his fingers for this one.

"Okay Grace, thanks for the help." He chugged down the rest of his tea and put his cap back on. "I appreciate everything. Now I've got to get going. I need to do something before tonight."

"You're welcome Ash. Now go get what you need done. I'll make sure Serena is in a good mood before tonight." Grace said and Ash made his way to the door, but he stopped before he reached it and turned his head towards Grace.

"Oh, and can you tell Serena that I'm sorry for whatever I did, and that I hope to see her tonight?" Ash asked. Grace smiled and looked back at him.

"I'll be sure to do that. Now go do what you need to do." Ash tipped his cap and left the house.

Grace put the kettle and cups in the sink and went upstairs to Serena's room to tell her. She knocked on Serena's door.

"I want to be left alone mom." Serena said from the other side of the door.

"Honey, I need to talk to you. It's important." Grace mentioned.

"Just leave me alone."

"I just wanted to tell you that Ash just came over, and we talked about what happened."

As soon as Ash's name was mentioned, Serena's expression lit up a tiny bit and let out a quiet gasp. Seeing as she wanted to know what they talked about, she thought she would let her mom in.

"Come in." She said in a less than unenthusiastic tone. Grace opened the door and stood in front of her a few feet away.

"What did you two talk about?"

"He told me what occurred yesterday. He said that whatever he did, that he feels bad about it and that he's sorry." Grace stated. As soon as her mom said it, Serena was shocked to hear that Ash said he was sorry. She lifted her head up off her arms and looked at her mom.

"Why is he sorry? He didn't do anything." She stated. Grace raised an eyebrow.

"Pardon?"

"It's not Ash's fault that I'm upset." Now Grace was confused. But she had a good idea that it wasn't his fault, and now she knew for sure.

"Then why are you upset?" Serena sat up for the first time since almost a day and answered.

"When I was looking for him after school yesterday, I heard some girls say that Ash deserved to go with someone to prom better than me, that I was a waste of his time. After I heard them say that, it hurt me to pieces. That's why I didn't want to talk to him." Serena explained. Now Grace completely understood what was going on. Since she just now heard Serena's side of the story, everything was now making sense.

"Oh thank heavens! Now I've heard everything." She looked down at her daughter, wondering that one important question.

"So, are you going to go to prom tonight?"

Now Serena didn't expect that to be asked. Since it was, she was still unsure if she did.

"I don't know mom. I'm still hurting from what happened." Grace was surprised that she gave that response.

"After I told you all that, you still don't know if you want to go?" Serena laid back down in the same position she was before, not responding.

"Serena, come on. If you don't go with him, than you asking him would have been all for naught. He's expecting you there tonight. You wonder how he is going to feel if you don't go?" Grace asked. Serena continued laying there.

"I just… I… don't know mom."

"Serena, if you just sit here for the rest of the day, you'll be missing out on the night you've been looking forward to for a month now. If you don't go, you're just letting those girls win." Grace explained. Serena just let out a brief moan as a response. Seeing as she wasn't getting through to her anymore, she got up went and stood in front of the doorway.

"Just give it some thought. Don't give those girls the satisfaction." After that she left the room, leaving Serena to ponder her decision.

After he had left Serena's house, he called Dawn and asked her if he could come over and have her help him with something. He was on his way to her house since she agreed to help him. He needed to learn how to do this. Just in case Serena did come to prom tonight, he wanted to give her a special night, and not to look like a fool in front of her.

He knocked on Dawn's front door. It took a second for someone to answer but eventually Dawn's mom, Joanna, opened the front door and welcomed him in. He went up into Dawn's room to see her and Ally there.

"Hey Dawn, Ally." Ash greeted as he entered Dawn's room.

"Hey Ash." Ally responded. Dawn got up from her bed and walked up to him.

"So you want to know how to dance? How come?" Dawn asked.

"I don't really know how. And in case she came tonight, I want to give Serena one good dance. I don't really want to look stupid in front of her." Ash said, chuckling at the end.

"Sure Ash. I'll be glad to help." Dawn replied.

"You don't mind, do you Ally?" Ash said, looking at her, hoping she was okay with this.

"Not at all. Go on ahead." Ally insisted.

Dawn then gave her first instruction. "Okay, when she is dancing with you, she might have her arms around your neck, so if she does that, you put your hands on her waist.

"O- on her waist?" Ash stuttered, uneasy she brought that part up.

"Yes Ash. Don't worry, it's how couples dance, so don't feel like she will take it weird." Dawn stated.

"Oh, okay. I get it." Ash replied.

Dawn, as she said, wrapped her arms around Ash's neck and she motioned Ash to put his hands on her waist. Ash slowly did so, seeing as he's never done this before. Ally giggled at Ash's nervousness.

"Okay, now, this is where you will start dancing, and this part is pretty easy. Most couples at a dance usually just take small steps side to side, so here is how it goes. Dawn started taking small steps from left to right like she said. Ash then followed suit, chuckling nervously.

"You okay?" Dawn asked.

Ash nodded his head. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"After a couple minutes of doing that part of the dance, you can start by doing it in a circle." Dawn instructed. Ash didn't know what she meant by that. Dawn noticed his confusion and she started going in a circle, which made Ash realize what it was.

"There you go. Now you're getting it." Dawn commented. Ash had to admit this was pretty easy, easier than he thought it would be.

"Okay, what else is there?" Ash asked.

"There is one thing when you're dancing with someone. There is this thing called a twirl and it is usually done by the guy, but since you're pretty much the student here, I'll show you how it's done."

Dawn then pulled Ash's arm in the air and spun him around and pulled him back in. Ash was a little dizzy from that but nothing major.

"And then, you pull her in." Dawn stated.

"Woo! That was a bit much." Ash commented.

"And one last thing. There is one other way she will be holding on to you. She could have her hands on your shoulders and she might, just might, rest her head on your chest." Dawn said.

"Is that normal?" Ash asked.

Dawn chuckled. "Yes Ash. It's perfectly normal for a girl to do that during a dance."

"Well, now I know. I mean, I'm not going to mind it. It wouldn't bother me if she did." Ash stated.

"Well, is there anything else I should know?"

"I think that should be it Ash. It looks like you learned really well. I hope you have a good night with Serena, if she comes that is." Dawn said.

"I know she will come." Ash said.

"How do you know?"

"I just know she will. I'm not giving up hope on her. I never have and I never will." Ash stated. This brought a smile upon Dawn's and Ally's faces. It was nice that he made such a remark.

"It's nice hearing you say that Ash. I'm sure she'll love hearing that." Ally commented.

"I just want to give her a special night. She's very important to me and I don't want to ruin it for her." Ash stated.

"Aww, that's very sweet of you Ash. Now Ally and I have to get prepared ourselves. You have a good night tonight, and pray that she comes." Dawn stated.

"Okay, thanks a lot Dawn. I'll see you later on." Ash said and went downstairs and left back towards his house.

"He really is something, isn't he?" Ally asked.

"He is. I've known him for a long time. He has really grown as a person since I first met him. I'm sure he'll have a good dance with her." Dawn said. "Now, let's get ready."

On his way home, Ash was thinking about tonight. This was a night that was just as important to him as it was to Serena. He was really not giving up hope on her. He crossed his fingers on both his hands.

"I really hope you make it tonight, Serena." He said to himself and continued his way home.

 **Author's note:** Well, that's what happened. Is our raven haired trainer becoming less dense now? Do you guys think so? I'll leave it up you. At least this chapter wasn't as depressing as the last one. Still had some of those moments, but only one or two big ones. I feel I did decent with this chapter. I personally feel like this chapter was better than the last one, but again, that's just me. Your guys' reviews have their own opinions. You guys are probably bored with me talking, so on to the preview. Oh, and by the way, this is pretty much going to be the last preview you guys get, seeing as this story only has two chapters left and the last chapter is going to be an epilogue and we really don't need a preview for an epilogue. But you guys will probably love this one, seeing as what the next chapter is going to be. I'm still babbling, here you guys go.

Serena continued to lay there on her bed, except she was now laying on her back instead of her side. That clearly told you she wasn't feeling too bad anymore. In reality, that was true. She didn't feel as bad as she did earlier, but the pain was still there. She was thinking about prom for the past few hours. She still wasn't sure if she should go. What if those girls were there? They'd probably mock her again. But, she didn't want Ash to be all alone by himself. Well, not in that regard. He would still have his friends there, but he'd be there alone without a date, which would've made her attempt null and void. She didn't want him to end up in that situation. He probably would end up feeling devastated if she didn't show up. She didn't know how much it would though, because she had no idea how much different he had been feeling about her lately. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She looked at it and it was a text from Ash.

It read…

" **I really hope you make it tonight. I want to make it special for you. I have no doubts on you coming. I'll be here waiting in case you change your mind."**

Serena silently gasped after she read that. When she read the part where he said he would make it special for her, it brought a smile for the first time since school yesterday. It wasn't a big one, just a small one. And the part where he said he didn't doubt her presence there, marginally increased her smile some more. She never would've seen that coming. Special? When has Ash ever considered doing something bigger for her than ever before? She didn't really know. She was almost definitely considering going now. Almost. She felt as she didn't have that extra boost to a hundred percent say yes.

But wait…

Her mom said that one thing to her earlier.

" _If you don't go, you're just letting those girls win."_

She didn't want that to happen. She was better than that.

" _Don't give those girls the satisfaction."_

That was enough.

Her look then changed into a determined one. And within an instant, she got up off her bed and went over to her closet and opened the door and grabbed the dress she had gotten for this night.

Now this was it. Ash was not only going to make this a special night for her, but she was going to make it special for him as well. She went into the bathroom to get prepared.

 **Author's note:** Ooh, here we go! The next chapter is the long awaited prom chapter. I'll bet you guys are excited for it. I know I am. You guys probably have been waiting for this all this time, and it's almost here. What is going to happen between these two on this very special night? What about the others? Now you stay there until the next chapter comes out. Don't fall asleep, don't go to the bathroom, and don't grab a snack and a drink. Okay, unless it's popcorn and a soda, but make it quick, because the chapter may be here before you know it. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	14. The Magic Happens

**TDBigJ's message:** Hey guys! What's up? You ready for this chapter? I hope you are, because this chapter you guys have probably been waiting for for a while now. It's the prom chapter. I'm just as excited for it as you guys. Anyway, thank you to those of you who reviewed, gave this story a favorite, a follow, or both since the last chapter. I'm really sad that this story is almost over, only one more chapter after this one. I find that hard to believe. But before I get all emotional, we still have this chapter to get through. And this chapter will be worth it, I promise you, especially since it's the longest chapter to date, being over 7,800 words. Well, let's get on to the responding of the reviews. This might be the last time I respond to reviews for this story. I haven't decided if I will do it in the epilogue or not, but I do have something planned to do at the end of the final chapter, so that will determine whether or not I do it. Okay, let's do this then.

 **Guest #1:** They probably just might. Read this chapter and find out. They just might as well. Thanks for the review!

 **Espeon44:** I hope she does. They will meet one of their parents, just that. Probably not. I already started typing the epilogue and I know where it is going to go. Thanks for the review!

 **Klay (Guest #2):** He won't be kissing either one of them. He actually won't be making an appearance this chapter, so you don't have to worry about that happening. Thanks for the review!

 **Jaguars5 (Guest #3):** Glad to know you love the story! So Dawn and Ally are your favorite couple in this story? Wow! It's good that you're being different. They will probably just dance with each other. Yeah, I suppose I like Dawn and Ally. They don't bother me. I think they might make a good couple. But I like the idea of her being with Ash more. Pearlshipping is my second favorite couple after Amourshipping. I don't like it anywhere near as much as Amourshipping, but I still support it a good amount. Thanks for the review!

 **Cavaliers23 (Guest #4):** She will talk to them this chapter, but their conversation won't be shown. Thanks for the review!

 **Rams30 (Guest #5):** They most likely will, but it will probably happen in the final chapter. Both of their parents will support their relationship, as it will be shown in this chapter. None of them will probably have kids in the epilogue. The final chapter will be in the future but not that far, pretty much only a month and a half. You guys will probably have a good idea what the next chapter's plot will be. Thanks for the review!

 **Portland0 (Guest #6):** I wish I could, but I don't feel comfortable making a yuri fic. Even if it's rated T, I couldn't do it, but I appreciate the suggestion. As for May and Shadow, I might consider doing that one though, I'm not quite sure yet. Gary won't hit on those two as he won't be making an appearance for the rest of the story. Nothing to worry, they won't get picked on. They could possibly, but that is as far as I will go with them. Thanks for the review!

 **Max (Guest #7):** Miette won't try to get Ash or tease Dawn and Ally. She will be making an appearance this chapter, I can tell you that. They probably will. Read and find out. Thanks for the review!

 **Blizzard21:** Yeah, I guess I did. Dawn and Ally creeps you out but at the same time you don't mind it. Okay, that's good. Thanks for the review!

 **Jacob (Guest #8):** Yes, she definitely will. Thanks for the review!

 **Alexandra (Guest #9):** She will this chapter. He probably won't in this story. Thanks for saying that you hope I get 100 reviews. I actually did after the last chapter. It reached 112 after the last one. The vice versa will actually happen. Of course I love Amourshipping. It's my favorite Pokemon pairing BY FAR! They probably won't, but I like the suggestion. Good to know you like Dawn and Ally. Thanks for the review!

 **Mad Ass Dragon:** Yeah, it does seem he's less dense now. At least in this story anyway. I hope you're ready for this chapter, although I think I might put you back in a diabetic coma after this one. Thanks for saying you will read any future Pokemon stories I make, believe me, I have WAY more planned, especially for Amourshipping. And that last part I won't be adding into this chapter. You got to remember, the characters are sixteen in this story, but hey, that is a good idea for a future one-shot, because I would think that is funny. And your stories plot seems intense, it looks like a different idea for a story I haven't seen executed yet. Thanks for the review!

 **Pokemonmeat:** So the preview was your favorite part of the last chapter? At least you liked the whole chapter anyway. But I can totally understand why you liked the preview so much. Thanks for the review!

 **Oakland54 (Guest #10):** Ash will be showing them in this chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #11:** Glad that I seem to be keeping the sweetness and spiciness of this fic alive. I will keep up the Amourshipping work. Thanks for the review!

 **Raiders89 (Guest #12):** Nothing to worry about. Nothing is happening between Ash and Dawn and Dawn and Ally are still together. Dawn was just helping Ash with his dancing. Thanks for the review!

 **San Diego 17 (Guest #13):** As mentioned above, vice versa will happen. They probably like them just as friends. I don't think they will be riding in a limousine, but I like you thought. Thanks for the review!

 **Ted34 (Guest #14):** As mentioned above, vice versa will happen. I hope they do. Read the chapter and find out. Probably not in this story. I don't hate Dawn and Ally together, I think they will be good together. He won't be making an appearance in this chapter or story. Thanks for the review!

 **Guest #15:** Something could happen between them, maybe in this chapter. Thanks for the review!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

The time of the day had neared. It was finally time for prom. Every student that was going was dressed up formally. The guys wore their nicest tuxes and the girls wore their most gorgeous dresses. Parents were taking pictures of their kid with their date or just simply as them dressed up. Both kids and parents were cherishing this night. For some this was just another night they could deal with, others saw it as a special night that they would never forget. For a certain raven haired boy, it was both. He was also having some hopes. But all in all, he wanted to make a special someone happy, if they showed up.

Ash was all dressed up in a black tux that his mom gave to him a week ago. He wore a white shirt underneath with a traditional black bow tie at the top and black dress shoes. It was one his dad had when he was younger but Delia had kept it when a day like this came for Ash. It fit him perfectly. The jacket didn't go past his wrists, didn't go past his waist, and the pants didn't go under his shoes. Delia looked at her son and squealed in awe.

"Awww, honey you look so handsome. I bet that will knock Serena off of her feet."

"It's just a tux mom."

"Yeah, but it looks just as good on you as it did on your dad when we went to prom. Serena will definitely faint before you two have your first dance."

The mention of Serena worried Ash. Since she hadn't talked to him since school yesterday, he was worried that she wouldn't make it to prom tonight. Her asking him would have been a waste. The initial thought of going alone could possibly happen. He didn't want that. He really wanted to go with her. He didn't doubt she wasn't going to make it. He kept hope that something, somehow would give her the courage to come tonight, just like she got the courage to ask him to go with her. Delia had walked away and came back with her camera just so she could take a picture of Ash in his tux.

"Mom, what are you doing?" Ash asked, realizing the camera in his mom's hands.

"I need to take a picture of you. You look cute in your tux. I want to cherish this memory and make it last." Delia said while giggling to herself.

"You don't need to do that mom." Ash stated, waving his hand in front of him to signal his mom to stop.

"Yeah I do, now hold still." Delia said and brought the camera up to her eye, ready for the shot. Ash walked up to her and put his hand on top of the camera and slowly pushed it down.

"Mom, I don't want any pictures. Besides, they will have a photographer there to do so anyway, so it isn't necessary." Ash stated and Delia eventually admitted defeat.

"Okay honey, if you say so."

"And anyway, wouldn't you want a picture of both Serena and I together?" Ash questioned.

"Oh, you're right, I would prefer that." Delia said as she put the camera down on the counter in the kitchen. Ash realized he needed something just in case Serena came tonight.

"Oh, wait! I need that!" Ash said silently to himself. He ran into the kitchen and opened the fridge and grabbed a plastic case containing a corsage in it.

"That's right. You don't want to forget that. But why would you need it? What if she doesn't come?" Delia asked.

"She will come. I know it." Ash stated.

"What makes you so sure?" Ash looked straight at his mom.

"I'm not giving up hope on her. I know she wouldn't to me so I wouldn't do it to her. I don't think she would let asking me to go all to waste." Ash explained. Delia closed her eyes and smiled.

"I'm glad you think that. You seem to have a heart of gold that most people don't seem to possess. I'm sure that's why Serena sees you as her best friend." Delia stated.

"Yeah, best friend. That's it." Ash said quietly.

 **Dawn and Ally**

The two had spent the last couple hours getting ready. They were already dressed up. They were just about to leave until Joanna, Dawn's mother, stopped them to get a picture.

"Hold on. Before you two get going, do you mind if I get a few pictures of you two?"

Dawn and Ally were fine with it and got together for the picture. Joanna snapped a picture a couple times before she said she got a good one. Dawn, seeing as she was going to prom with Ally, was still unsure of what her mom thought. She walked up to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"Mom?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you against, you know, me going with Ally?"

Joanna silently gasped. Why on Earth was she asking this? At first she wasn't thrilled but she couldn't help who her daughter dated, it wasn't her decision who Dawn should be with.

"Of course not, honey. I was a little surprised that you were but who you go with is totally up to you. Don't be scared of what my response will be. I will always support you no matter what."

After her mom had explained her thoughts, Dawn went up to her and hugged her. Her mom returned the hug. After a few seconds she separated and her mom told her it was time to go. So she grabbed Ally's hand and left the house.

 **Clemont and Shauna**

Clemont stood at the bottom of the stairs, waiting for Shauna to show up. His tux consisted of a white jacket with a black shirt underneath and black pants and dress shoes and red bow tie. His dad Meyer and Bonnie were sitting there waiting as well. Bonnie could hardly contain her excitement. Her big brother had a date for prom and dressed pretty sharp.

"When is she going to get here, Clemont?" Bonnie asked, bouncing around in her seat in anticipation.

"She said she would be here any minute, Bonnie." Clemont responded. His little sister was always eager to find him a lady to take care of him. Whenever he was traveling around with her she would go up to random girls and ask them to take care of him, but he'd always drag her away, hoping she wouldn't cause him to be any more embarrassed than he already was. His train of thought was soon interrupted as the doorbell rang. He went up to the door and opened it to reveal Shauna. Clemont thought she looked rather gorgeous. She wore a pink dress with blue trim around the collar and she wore her hair down from her usual style. Shauna took a look at him and thought he looked pretty dashing. This was a good look, even for Clemont.

"Hey Shauna. You look great."

"Hey Clemont. You look really handsome yourself."

Clemont let out his usual nervous giggle whenever a girl complimented him. Meyer and Bonnie saw this and smirked.

"You ready to go?" Shauna asked.

"Uh, sure. Let's get going." Clemont responded. All of a sudden, they heard the sound of a camera shuttering. Clemont looked to his side and saw that Bonnie had taken a picture of them with her phone. Clemont blushed in embarrassment.

"Bonnie! Why'd you do that?" Clemont shouted. Bonnie giggled to herself.

"Hey, you need a picture of some sort to remember this night." Bonnie replied.

"If we're going to get a picture, we'll be taking one at the prom. So you don't have to take one of us here." Clemont stated. Meyer rubbed the top of Bonnie's head.

"Your brother is right. If he wants to give us a picture he will have it taken at prom on his own accord." Meyer said.

Bonnie sulked at the mention of that. "Does that mean I'll have to delete the picture off my phone?"

Clemont shook his head. "I'll let you keep that one Bonnie. But just refrain from doing it in the future."

"Okay."

Clemont then looked at Shauna. "You ready?"

"Yeah, let's go." After that, the two left the front door, making their way to the school.

 **May and Shadow**

May had just arrived at Shadow's house. She had come over all dressed up and when she got there he was as well. She met Shadow's other siblings, Selina and Ashley, and she also met his parents, Amy and Zach. Amy had already taken pictures of her and Shadow. Shadow was dressed in a black tux and May wore a red dress with a black scarf around her neck. She wore her hair down which Shadow commented that it looked great, causing her to blush a little.

"You two look so great together. I'm sure you two will have a good time tonight." Amy squealed.

"That's what we're hoping for mom. We've been waiting for this for a month now." Shadow said.

"How about your sister? Has she told you she was on her way?" Zach asked.

"Yeah, she texted me a few minutes ago her and Dawn had already started going there." Shadow replied. "You guys okay with her going with Dawn?"

"Honey, we have no problem with it. If she wants to be with Dawn, that's her decision. We have no say in who she dates." Amy responded.

"If that's what you think, I'll accept it as well." Shadow stated.

"Good. Now, you two should get going. Prom starts in half an hour." Zach said.

"Go have fun, Shadow." Selina commented.

"Yeah, you too May." Ashley added.

Shadow looked at May. "Come on. Let's go."

"All right." After that, the two opened the door, waved goodbye to Shadow's family (minus Ally) and started going on their way.

 **Brock and Lucy**

Brock was looking at himself in the mirror. He wanted to make sure before he left that he looked presentable. Hair not in a mess, tux not wrinkled, and everything tucked in. He and Lucy already had their pictures taken by Brock's mom. After checking over everything and seeing that he looked fine, he looked over at the couch where Lucy was sitting. He thought she looked really pretty. She was wearing a maroon dress with a white sash around the waist. She was looking down, twiddling her thumbs. She seemed to be a little uneasy. Concerned, he walked over to her and sat down.

"Something troubling you?" Brock asked. Lucy looked over at him briefly and then looked back down at her thumbs.

"Nothing. I'm just nervous." She responded.

"How come?"

Lucy closed her eyes. "I've never been to a dance before where I had a date. I'm afraid I will look foolish in front of you."

Brock was surprised to hear her say this. But he had something to tell her. This was something he could relate to.

"Lucy, you don't have to worry about looking foolish in front of me. In fact, this is actually my first dance I'm going to with a date as well." Brock explained.

"Really?"

"Yeah. Every other dance I've been to I've gone to alone. Every girl I asked turned me down or was either really uncomfortable when I asked them. But when you asked me a few days ago, I felt ecstatic. This was new to me. A girl never asked me to go with her to dance, especially prom. I was beyond happy. So really, you shouldn't have to worry about looking like a fool in front of me, because I've done the same thing with many girls and have gotten over it." Brock explained. Before Brock knew it, Lucy slammed into a hug with him.

"Thank you Brock! I feel much better now."

"You're welcome."

Brock pulled apart from the hug and looked at her. "Thing is, we're pretty much in the same position right now. We both have to make a good first impression. You with me on this?"

"Yeah."

"Okay. Now let's get to prom." Brock said as he held out his hand which she took and left the house and headed towards the school.

Ash had just arrived at the prom, and he was one of the first ones there. There were only about twenty other people there, not including chaperones and teachers. Ash looked around to see if any of his friends were there. It didn't seem that they were, so he was the first out of all of them to get here, so he took a deep breath and brushed over his hair with his free hand and walked over to a table and sat down, putting the corsage on the table but keeping his hands over it. He took out his phone and started typing in a message and sent it when he was done and put the phone back in his pocket. He looked around the gymnasium. It was pretty quiet. The DJ hadn't started playing the music yet, even though the equipment was all set up. Maybe it was the fact that there weren't very many people here at the moment. Probably when it got more crowded then the music would commence. A voice broke Ash from his gaze into space.

"Hey Ash, you're here." Ash turned around and saw Brock there with Lucy.

"Hey, good that you made it, Brock." Ash said, high fiving Brock then looking at Lucy. "Hey, you're Lucy right?"

Lucy nodded her head. "Yeah. You're Ash, is that correct?"

"Yeah. I remember meeting you over in the Sinnoh region, when Brock helped you out that one day." Ash stated.

"That is a day I will never forget. And tonight will probably be the same, only better." Lucy remarked.

"You two have a good time. This is a once a year thing you know." Ash commented.

"Will do. What are you going to do?" Brock asked.

"I'm just going to wait for Serena. I'm expecting her to be here." Ash responded.

"How do you know she is coming?" Brock said, confused as to why Ash was doing that.

"Look, I know she will be here. I don't have any doubts. I have a good feeling she will show up." Ash explained.

"Cross your fingers Ash. I'm pulling for you." Brock said while crossing his fingers.

"Me too." Lucy added, doing the same as Brock, and the two walked away.

"I will cross my fingers." Ash said and did so. "For you, Serena."

Forty five minutes passed and the gym was now getting filled. The DJ started playing music about twenty five minutes ago when the place filled to about a hundred people. All of Ash's friends had arrived shortly after one another. Dawn and Ally had shown up a few minutes after Ash talked to Brock and Lucy, May and Shadow had arrived ten minutes after that, and Clemont and Shauna arrived a minute after them. Ash had already talked to all of them and each one of them asked why Ash thought Serena was going to make it tonight, with Ash giving the same reason every time. Along with him, they hoped that Serena did in fact come tonight. Even if she was late, Ash wanted to have just one dance with her, that was all he cared about, just one. He checked his phone to see if Serena responded to his text from earlier, and it appeared that she didn't. Ash sighed to himself. He was really crossing all the fingers he had in hope that she would make it. Her presence would make his night, even if she showed up with only a half hour left. He wanted to give her a night she wouldn't forget for years. He looked down at the corsage he got her, and then closed his eyes.

"Please make it, Serena. Please."

Over in Serena's house, she was still laying on her bed. She was still debating whether she would go or not. Her mother had come up a couple times after Ash had visited earlier today. The last time she came up, she asked her if she was going tonight, which she responded with an "I'm still not sure."

Serena continued to lay there on her bed, except she was now laying on her back instead of her side. That clearly told you she wasn't feeling too bad anymore. In reality, that was true. She didn't feel as bad as she did earlier, but the pain was still there. She was thinking about prom for the past few hours. She still wasn't sure if she should go. What if those girls were there? They'd probably mock her again. But, she didn't want Ash to be all alone by himself. Well, not in that regard. He would still have his friends there, but he'd be there alone without a date, which would've made her attempt null and void. She didn't want him to end up in that situation. He probably would end up feeling devastated if she didn't show up. She didn't know how much it would though, because she had no idea how much different he had been feeling about her lately. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. She looked at it and it was a text from Ash.

It read…

" **I really hope you make it tonight. I want to make it special for you. I have no doubts on you coming. I'll be here waiting in case you change your mind."**

Serena silently gasped after she read that. When she read the part where he said he would make it special for her, it brought a smile for the first time since school yesterday. It wasn't a big one, just a small one. And the part where he said he didn't doubt her presence there, marginally increased her smile some more. She never would've seen that coming. Special? When has Ash ever considered doing something bigger for her than ever before? She didn't really know. She was almost definitely considering going now. Almost. She felt as she didn't have that extra boost to a hundred percent say yes.

But wait…

Her mom said that one thing to her earlier.

" _If you don't go, you're just letting those girls win."_

She didn't want that to happen. She was better than that.

" _Don't give those girls the satisfaction."_

That was enough.

Her look then changed into a determined one. And within an instant, she got up off her bed and went over to her closet and opened the door and grabbed the dress she had gotten for this night.

Now this was it. Ash was not only going to make this a special night for her, but she was going to make it special for him as well. She went into the bathroom to get prepared.

Back at the prom, Ash had sat down at the table he and his friends were sitting at. He sat down ten minutes ago, staring at the corsage. He bat it back and forth with his hands, eyes following it whenever it moved. He heard someone sit down next to him, he stopped what he was doing and looked to his left. The person who sat down next to him was someone he was familiar with, as he's met her a few times before, it happened to be Miette.

"Hey Ash. What are you doing?" Ash took his gaze off of her and looked back at the corsage.

"Oh nothing really. I'm just waiting for a friend to show up." Ash answered.

Miette knew who it was. "It's Serena, isn't it?"

Ash looked at her with a quizzical look. "How'd you know?"

"I've known Serena for a few months. At first I didn't really care for her, but I got used to her after that. She really isn't that bad." Miette explained. Ash continued to look at the corsage.

"To me, Miette, she's more than "not that bad." She's my best friend. But lately, I've been feeling different about her. What I mean by different, is that I feel like we shouldn't be friends anymore, but we should be something more than that. But I have a feeling that if I tell her that, I'm afraid she won't feel the same way." Ash explained.

Miette took this all in. She was actually surprised that Ash in fact liked Serena more than a friend. Miette wanted to be with Ash as well, but if Ash felt the same way towards Serena the same way she felt towards him, then she thought she shouldn't interfere. It wouldn't be fair. Normally she would say: Forget about her, be with someone else. But Miette thought that wouldn't be right anymore. She couldn't choose who Ash should be with, that was entirely up to him. She had to admit, Serena was brave enough to gather the courage to confess to him that she had a crush on him. But Miette didn't want to accept defeat yet. She wanted to see Ash and Serena as a couple before she did. When that moment came, then she would tell Serena that Ash deserves her, and hope that he makes her happy. She heard Ash say: "I'm afraid she won't feel the same way." Since Miette knew Serena liked Ash, she thought she would give him an insight.

"Don't worry Ash, she will probably feel the same way." Ash once again gave her a quizzical look.

"How would you know that?"

Miette brushed her hair with her hand and answered. "If she's your best friend, then there's a good chance she could like you back." Ash had heard the point Miette had made. She was right. Serena was someone close, why wouldn't she? But he wanted to know for sure. Ash planned to do something later on in the night to find out for certain.

"Thanks Miette! I probably have a better idea now." Ash stated.

Miette put one arm around Ash's back and patted him on the chest with her other hand. "Anytime Ash. Now… go get her tiger!" She got up and walked away. Ash chuckled after she said that. His spirits were a lot higher now. He got up to go talk to Brock, that is, until…

He saw her.

Right when he got up, he saw Serena entering the gymnasium. And she was all dressed up. He was shocked and happy at the same time. She did show up. He was beyond ecstatic. And the way she looked, Ash couldn't help but think she looked great. She was wearing a white dress and over that was a matching cardigan, and it looked like she curled her hair a little more that Ash thought looked amazing. He didn't care what he thought right now, all he cared was that she was now here. He walked up to her with corsage and hand. Serena saw Ash walking up to her and smiled and walked up to him. The two stopped when they approached each other. Ash's mouth was open with a smile, he was happy to see she was here.

"You made it!" Ash exclaimed.

"Yep. I'm here." Serena responded. Ash looked over her outfit again.

"You look really beautiful." Ash commented. Serena blushed a deep crimson.

"Th- thanks Ash! You l- look very handsome." Serena replied. Ash couldn't help but blush a faint pink. Serena noticed his blush, and her blush darkened more.

"Does Ash… think more of me?" She thought to herself. She shook that off as this wasn't a time to think of that. They had prom to get through first. Ash put the corsage down on the table next to him and opened it and took out the corsage.

"You don't mind if I put this on your dress, do you?" Ash asked.

"Not at all." Serena replied. Ash then placed the corsage on the upper left part of her dress and made sure it stayed still. When it appeared stable, he removed his hands from the flower. Serena looked at the corsage. It was a very beautiful flower, and Ash had done a good job picking it out.

"Does it look okay?" Ash asked.

Serena placed her hand on the flower and looked at Ash. "It looks great Ash. Thanks!

"How about we go sit down? The others will probably want to see you now that you're here." Ash stated.

"Sure, let's go."

Ash then took her hand and walked over to the table that his friends were occupying. May and Shadow and Clemont and Shauna were sitting there. They looked over at the two and were surprised and happy to see Serena there. They had the same expressions as Ash did. They all got up and greeted her and hugged her, saying how happy they were to see her there. Ash helped her take off her cardigan and they sat down and they all talked.

An hour passed and the others had kept Serena busy. They had been talking her ear off since she got here. It was mainly a couple of them talking to her, and they switched every so often. Serena was beginning to feel a little annoyed. She had come here to spend time with Ash but they kept jabbering on. Ash had been slowly walking around the gym, waiting for the others to leave the table so he could ask Serena to dance. He himself was starting to feel annoyed. He made it his mission to give Serena a special night, and his friends were preventing that. He sighed and took the final gulp of punch that he had been carrying around and went over to a garbage can and threw the cup away. He looked over at the dance floor. He saw three pairs of his friends dancing there: Clemont and Shauna, May and Shadow, and Brock and Lucy.

 **Clemont and Shauna**

"You seem to know what you're doing. You're not half bad." Shauna commented.

"Um, uh, thanks! I hope that I don't look stupid in front of you." Clemont said.

"You don't look stupid in front of me Clemont. You are doing pretty good."

"Well that's a relief."

Clemont looked back at Shauna in the eyes. "I- I- I'm glad you asked me to be your date."

"No problem, Clemont. It was a pleasure." Shauna replied, and then planted a quick kiss on his cheek. Clemont blushed red.

"Uh… uh…" Clemont stuttered. Shauna just giggled and continued dancing with him.

 **May and Shadow**

"Am I doing okay?" Shadow asked.

"You're doing fine. I haven't complained yet have I?" May asked.

"Good point. You having a good time?"

"Most definitely. You?"

"Yeah."

"I'm glad I came with you." May commented.

"Same here. To be honest I was a little nervous when you asked me." Shadow stated.

"Well, that's the past. This is now. We're together. Isn't that what matters?"

"You're right."

May then laid her head on Shadow's chest. They were really enjoying the night.

 **Brock and Lucy**

"Having fun?" Brock asked.

"Yeah. I'm having a good time."

"I'm glad. You're making a good first impression on me." Brock stated.

"So are you." Lucy replied.

"Brock?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for saying yes. I appreciate that you agreed to come with me."

Brock smiled. "Thank you for asking me. My night wouldn't be as good as it is now if you hadn't." Lucy blushed then looked up at Brock.

"Brock, can I ask you something else?"

"Yeah, what?"

Lucy jumped up and kissed Brock on the lips quickly. Brock blushed, seeing as he has never been kissed by a girl before. He was left speechless. Lucy giggled to herself. His reaction was pretty funny.

When he saw Dawn and Ally talking to Serena with no signs of ending, Ash thought that was enough. There was only a half hour left of prom and he wanted to have at least one dance with Serena, just one. Was that too much to ask? He walked over to the table and Shauna and May saw Ash approaching them. Ash went between Serena and Dawn and looked at the latter.

"Hey, Ash, what do you need?" Dawn asked.

"Could I talk to Serena for a sec?" Dawn and Ally listened to him and went off to go dance. Ash held out his hand in front of her. Serena looked up at Ash.

"What is it Ash?"

"I think you deserve one good dance tonight. How about it?"

Serena looked at Ash's hand at then back up at him, she smiled and grabbed his hand and he lifted her up out of her seat and led her to the dance floor. Meanwhile, Dawn and Ally had started a dance of their own. They caught the sight of a few people, but they ignored them. They didn't care if they opposed, only their opinions mattered.

"You think people will mock us for dating each other?" Ally asked.

"Probably. But who cares. If they see two girls dating each other, it's not a big deal. It should only matter to us. Our friends and family support us, who cares if other people are against it." Dawn explained.

"Well, I'm glad. And you're right. Who cares what those other people think. They don't make this decision, if it's what makes us happy, then so be it." Ally responded.

Dawn then smiled and kissed Ally on the lips for a couple seconds. Some other students were grossed out by it, but their friends saw this and smiled. Like mentioned before, they had their support, no matter what.

As soon as they got to the dance floor, Ash remembered what Dawn had taught him earlier that day, so he had a good idea of what to do. He kept hold of her one hand and placed the other on her waist. Serena looked straight at him.

"Do you know what to do?"

"I may have picked something up, so just follow my lead." Ash stated and he started moving his feet from side to side. Serena noticed what he was doing and followed suit. After a couple minutes of dancing like he was instructed, Ash was relieved that he was doing okay.

"Whew, I'm doing fine so far. Just pray to Arceus that I don't screw up." Ash thought to himself.

While he was talking in his mind, Serena had been pleased that Ash was giving her the one dance she wanted to have with him. She was so happy to an extent that words couldn't even describe it. She was dancing with the guy of her dreams. This night couldn't get any better. She looked at him in his tux and she thought he looked so handsome that it was heartstopping. She almost fainted at the sight of him in it. She looked at him in the eyes and knew he was thinking to himself. Since he was, she had something to think about herself.

"I'm having such a great time. If this is the only dance I get with him, who cares.  
That's the only thing I want. I've been waiting for this for a whole month and I'm not letting this go to waste."

She then thought about this dance that they were having. What if she decided not to come tonight? She wouldn't be here dancing with him. She would've hated herself if she made that decision, but thank heavens that she chose otherwise. But she wanted to know something. Something that she heard earlier in the day.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Why did you come over to talk to my mom today?"

This caught Ash off guard. "Oh, I almost forgot about that." He thought to himself.

"I wanted to know why you were upset. I've never seen you that upset and I wanted to help resolve that. Seeing as you wouldn't talk to me, I thought that everything was my fault. And if that is what happened, I'm sorry."

There, he said it again. He was sorry because he thought it was his fault that she was upset for the last day. She looked back into his amber eyes and responded.

"Ash, it was nothing you did."

"What?"

"Ash, I wasn't upset because of something you did. You didn't do anything. It was about tonight that upset me."

"Did you get nervous?"

"No. There were these girls who thought you deserved better than me, and they said a few things that hurt me. That is why I wouldn't talk to you yesterday."

Ash now found out everything. It wasn't him at all. He was starting to hate himself for what happened to her. But now that he knew the truth that was over with.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. I would have never forgiven myself if it was because of me." Ash stated.

"It's now old news, Ash. You don't have to worry about it anymore." Serena said. Ash continued looking into her eyes and smiled.

"I'm glad you made it tonight."

"Me too. I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

By this time, the current song ended. It stayed silent for a few moments until the next one came on. The song happened to be Can't Fight This Feeling by REO Speedwagon. Serena actually liked this song. Ash never heard of it, but the way it sounded, it seemed like a good song to slow dance to, so he started the dance again.

Serena had to admit Ash was doing very well dancing with her. She didn't know if he could dance prior to tonight, but that wasn't a big deal now, he was proving to be a good one. And with the song that was playing now, it seemed even more perfect. She heard the lyrics of the song.

 _What started out as friendship has grown stronger_

Since she has listened to this song many times before, she was familiar with the words.

 _Even as I wander, I'm keeping you in sight_

It seemed as these lyrics fit something, but what?

 _I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might_

She knew now. This song described her and Ash's friendship up until now, and was also telling how things could go between them. She looked up at Ash, who smiled back at her, she then smiled as well, and she then laid her head on his chest and placed her hand on his left shoulder. Ash saw her laying her head on him. His smile stayed there and they continued dancing. He was having a great night, and it seemed like she was as well, and he was happy that he was making her happy. It was something that would live on in both their memories forever.

After prom ended, Ash offered to walk Serena home since they didn't do it yesterday. It was just them. The others had already started their trek home and said they would see the two on Monday. During the whole walk home, Serena was grabbing Ash's right arm and resting her head on his shoulder. Ash by no means shrugged her off, mainly because he didn't want to. They were walking pretty slow, so they took longer than usual to get home, but neither of them seemed bothered by it. They didn't want this night to end, but unfortunately, it had to sometime. After twenty minutes, they reached Serena's house and stood on the front doorstep and turned so they were facing each other.

"I had a great time tonight." Serena commented.

"Me too. I wish there was another dance coming up." Ash stated.

"Same here. I didn't want to stop dancing with you. I would have stayed until we were the last ones there."

"Well, I really wanted to make this night special for you. You deserved it more than anybody."

"Thanks Ash. Seeing you tonight made it worthwhile. We're going to have to go somewhere and dance by ourselves, with no one around, just the two of us." Serena suggested.

"I'd like that." Ash responded. Seeing at what the time was Ash needed to get home as well. "So I guess I'll see you on Monday then."

"Okay."

But before Ash had to leave, seeing as Ash went through so much to give her a night he wanted to give her, she wanted to say thanks, but more than just saying it. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on Ash's cheek. She blushed a faint red, and seeing as he didn't see that coming, Ash did as well.

"What was that?" Ash asked.

"That's for giving me the greatest night. My way of saying thanks."

"But why did you kiss me on the cheek?" Serena's mouth opened a tiny bit.

"Was it too much?"

"You should've done this."

And then, Ash cuffed both of her cheeks with his hands and looked into her ocean blue eyes. Serena didn't know where he was going with this. But then…

Ash closed his eyes and then leaned forward and planted a deep kiss on her lips. Serena's eyes widened and her whole face was now a deep crimson. Was it really happening right now? Ash was kissing her! Serena could definitely feel her heart exploding. She closed her eyes a couple times to make sure it was a dream, but every time she opened them, he was still there kissing her. Seeing as it was, she slowly closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck. Her dream was coming true. All that was left was for him to ask her to be his girlfriend, then everything would be perfect. But that was for another day.

As soon as Ash released from the kiss, Serena opened her eyes and looked at him. His soulful brown eyes were looking right into hers, and seeing as what happened, she was literally speechless. After a few seconds, she felt like she was going to faint, and then, she started falling backwards. But luckily Ash was there to catch her, his right arm catching her by the back.

"Serena, are you all right?"

A small smile appeared on her face and her eyes were half open.

"Nothing I say matters."

And then she closed her eyes, succumbing to a fainted state. Seeing as she wouldn't respond when he snapped his fingers a couple of times, he took his left arm and went under her legs and lifted her up. He opened the door to her house and walked up the stairs to her room. He walked into her room and gently placed her down on her bed, making sure not to jar her awake. After putting her on her bed, he grabbed her right hand with both hands and looked at her. She seemed so peaceful sleeping. He knew he was the one who put her in this state, and it didn't bother him a bit. He placed her hand next to her side and started leaving the room and headed out the front door. As soon as he got to the sidewalk, he looked up at the window of her room and smiled. He looked there for a few seconds and then continued to walk home. Thinking about what transpired tonight.

It really was a magical night.

 **Author's note:** YES! YES! THEY KISSED! Oh wait, are you guys watching? Oops! Sorry! He he. I shouldn't really shout that out like that. But hey, you guys are probably happy that they did as well. A dance and a kiss in one night, now that is definitely one night they'll never forget. What did you think? Everything turned out fine. But I'll leave that for you guys. I let them dance to the song "Can't Fight This Feeling" because I think that song perfectly describes Ash and Serena's friendship/relationship. If you listen to the lyrics, it does make sense about them. I added a few lines of the song to show you which ones I think represent their relationship the most. This no doubt has to be one of my favorite chapters. You know why. Well, I'll see you guys in the next chapter. Since the next chapter is the final chapter and it will end up being an epilogue, I won't be leaving a preview of the next chapter. Sorry for those of you who were expecting one but those of you who weren't, mainly because I said it before the preview of the last chapter, well, at least you remembered. So I'll see you in the final chapter of this heartwarming story. Until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


	15. Epilogue-Our Reflections

**TDBigJ's message: *** Sniffles* Hey guys. Nothing is wrong. I'm just a little emotional is all. Here we are, another update, but this unfortunately is the last one. But don't worry, I will have another story up after this one. This won't be my only shot at a Pokemon fanfic. Okay, I feel much better now. Here is the conclusion of In or Out, which is sad for me to say. Oh man, I don't want to get emotional again. Okay, I held that one off. Sorry if I seem like a baby for acting like this. I won't keep you guys stalled any further, I know you want to get to the chapter. Since this is the last chapter, I won't be responding to reviews because I feel like I should let you guys get to the chapter right off the bat. Besides, there is another reason I'm not responding to reviews. You guys will find out later after the story part of the chapter is done. So, here we go. Let's finish this thing!

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon or it's characters, they belong to game freak and Nintendo, and… whoever else.**

Summer had arrived a month ago. Since summer was here, that meant time had come for another journey for Ash, and time had come for him to catch new Pokemon and challenge eight new gyms. It was his favorite time of the year. But seeing as the kind of person he is, is that really a surprise? It also meant time for him to have some company along with him on his new journey. Brock came along with him for what seemed like the thousandth time. Ash also became good friends with Ally's brother Shadow and asked him to come along, which he agreed to. But the one person he was looking forward to sharing this time with the most, was his best friend, or as I should now say, girlfriend, Serena.

The day after school ended, Ash went over to Serena's house to see if she was ready for the next day as their journey would start. There was one thing he went over there to do other than that, and with how things were going, it might surprise you.

It was a month into his journey, and Ash had already challenged and beaten five gyms, and he was proud that he had gotten this many gym badges so quickly. Serena had also found a dream to follow. Apparently this region did in fact have Pokemon performing and she chose that path. Shadow had been a battler for as long as Ash had been, and the two would occasionally have battles when they weren't challenging gyms. Brock, well, he was just along for the ride, and also to see new Pokemon and catch a few.

Right now, Brock, being the wonderful cook that he is, was cooking lunch for the group. Shadow was training his Pokemon for his next gym battle. And Ash, having already trained his Pokemon today, was sitting under a tree with Serena. The two were enjoying the scene that was in front of them, in total silence, their hands intertwined. Ash did in fact like what was in front of him. The sky was clear, and Pidgeys and Fletchling's were chirping in the air. Since he started hanging out with Serena when she moved to Pallet, he got into things like this. Neither of them had their hats on, since they didn't need to because they were under a tree, which gave them enough shade. Ash looked at her. He had to admit, she did look kind of cute without her hat on. They had been sitting there for twenty minutes, and since they had been sitting for so long, Ash became a little drowsy, mainly due to Serena's body heat. He leaned his head back onto the tree and closed his eyes. Serena felt the movement of his head and looked up.

"Are you tired?"

Ash jolted awake after getting a few seconds of rest and rubbed his eyes with his left hand. "Oh, no. I'm just a bit drowsy from your body heat is all."

"Oh. Well don't feel bad. I was feeling a bit tired as well for the same reason." Serena responded.

"I guess I'm also tired from my training from earlier. I did feel overwhelmed afterwards." Ash stated.

"You deserve the rest. Your devoted work to make you and your Pokemon better fighters is definitely exhausting." Serena explained.

"From how long I've been doing it, that makes sense." Ash replied.

Serena then lifted her head up and looked at Ash. He noticed her looking at him, and after a few seconds, he was wondering why she was looking at him for.

"What?"

"Remember the day before our journey started, when you came over to my house, what you asked me?"

"Oh yeah, I do remember."

 **Flashback**

School had ended yesterday, and tomorrow marked the start of a new journey for Ash. He had already called Brock and Shadow, and seeing as Serena didn't live that far away from him, he thought he would go talk to her and see if she was ready. But there was something else he was going over there for, and what he was about to do is not something Ash would normally do, but he's a changed person, so that's why he was doing it.

He approached the front door and knocked on it. No more than five seconds later did Grace open it.

"Oh hey, Ash. What brings you here?"

"I came by to talk to Serena. Is she home? I want to know if she is ready for tomorrow."

"She's home, she's up in her room. You can go up there if you like."

Ash entered the house. "Okay, thanks Grace." He said and walked up the stairs and into Serena's room. She was brushing Fennikin's fur. Looking up and seeing Ash there, she told Fennekin she was done and Fennekin hopped off the bed.

"Hey Ash. What are you doing here?" Serena asked.

"I just came by to see if you're ready for tomorrow." Ash responded.

"Yeah, I'm ready. I just need to pack tonight and I'll be good to go." She answered.

"And there is one more thing I want to ask you, and I thought you would like to hear it. It's pretty important." Ash stated.

"Oh, okay, come sit down." Serena said and patted the spot on the bed where Fennekin was previously sitting. Ash walked over and sat down and took off his hat.

"Look, we've gotten a lot closer in the last couple of weeks since prom. And I think we are moving in the right direction. Since I've met you I've never felt this way towards anyone, a girl really. I've never been a romance buff since my mind is usually on the subject of Pokemon and battling. But I really like how we became such good friends since you moved here a few months ago, to the point where I saw you as my best friend, and only that. But a week or two before prom, I started feeling different towards you, a way that I've never seen before. This whole thing is new to me, and I am willing to give it a shot if you are."

Serena was starting to hope that the unexpected was about to happen. She looked into his soulful brown eyes. She didn't know for sure it was what was going to happen, but she let him continue.

"Whatever it is, I am willing." She replied.

Ash took a deep breath and started. "If we are going on this journey together, I don't want you to come with me as my best friend, but I want you to come as my girlfriend."

And then, Serena lost it mentally. She felt as if she died and went to heaven when Ash finished his question. Her eyes immediately widened and she gasped and she covered her mouth with her hands.

"Serena, are you up for it?" Ash asked. But he soon felt himself tackled back onto the bed when Serena hurled herself into a hug with him.

"YES! YES! I WOULD LOVE TO BE YOUR GIRLFRIEND!" Serena shouted in happiness. Seeing as she pummeled Ash down onto her bed, she chuckled sheepishly and helped him up.

"Well, that reaction was more than I expected but it still answered my question." Ash said.

Serena giggled. "Sorry I overreacted but I just couldn't contain myself." She said as she brushed Ash off.

"You doing all right?" Ash asked.

Serena brushed her hair to the side. "I'm doing more than all right, Ash. I've been wanting to be your girlfriend since the day I first met you, so I'm beyond thrilled that you asked me."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Ash let out a quick breath. "Well, now that surprises me. But I'm glad you like the idea."

"Ash, I LOVE the idea! I've been dreaming this day would come." Serena exclaimed.

"Okay. I'm happy as well. I'm looking forward to travelling with you this summer."

Ash grabbed his hat and put it on. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Serena nodded.

"Absolutely."

"Okay…" Ash then grabbed her hand and kissed it. "I'll see you then." He then waved goodbye and left her room. Serena was so overjoyed right now. She was starting her first official journey tomorrow, and her crush just asked her to be his girlfriend.

She had no doubt, this was going to be one heck of a summer.

 **End of flashback**

"You seriously changed my life that day." Serena commented.

"Were you really telling the truth when you said you've had a crush on me since the first day we met?" Ash asked.

"Yeah, I was. It was one hundred percent true." She responded.

"Why did you have a crush on me?" Ash wondered.

Serena straightened her position on him. "Oh Ash, where do I begin? You are helpful, considerate, selfless, brave, and determined. On my first day at Pallet High you were the only one who would help me. I am forever grateful for that and it was since that moment I have had a crush on you."

"Wow! That was more than I thought." He looked down at her. "I'm sorry I didn't notice it before."

Serena shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry about it Ash. That was the past, this is now, and now is what matters. We're both here, in a relationship, and I couldn't be happier. I even found another dream to pursue."

"Yeah, you're wanting to be a master Pokemon performer. And you're off to a good start." Ash explained.

"I'm excited to do this. I know it won't be easy, but I'm looking forward to the challenge." Serena said.

"You doing okay with finding routines for your Pokemon performances?" Ash asked. Serena nodded her head.

"Yeah. I feel very confident. After I won my first princess key, I felt like this was the path for me." Serena explained.

"I'm glad. I felt bad for you after your first performance." Ash commented.

"Yeah. That was pretty rough for me." Serena said rather quietly.

 **Flashback**

Ash had been going on a walk late at night. Yeah, it seemed weird to go for a walk at this time. But the main reason he went for a walk was to find Serena. After her first performance earlier that day, which ended in disaster because she lost in the first round after Fennekin tripped on a ribbon which she left too long. Ash felt bad that she ended up losing her first attempt like that, but regardless, he still voted for her. He looked around for her, trying to see where she had left off to. After dinner, she had left the group and he hasn't seen her since. He was beginning to worry. It wasn't like her to leave off like that.

He cuffed his hands in front of his mouth. "Serena! Where are you?"

Pikachu did the same. "Pika, pika!"

Silence was what they received for an answer. They called out many more times, trying to see if she would give off a response, only to get silence each time. Now the two of them really began to worry. What if she wondered off to a far location and had gotten lost on her way back? Oh dear Arceus, he hoped that wasn't the case.

He called off a couple more times, only to still get no answer. He looked left and right to see if he could catch a glimpse of her. He didn't see her either. He kept walking, calling out and looking again to see if he could exact her location.

"Man Pikachu, where could she be?"

Pikachu shrugged his shoulders. "Pika."

But then, he heard a sound, the sound of a girl crying her eyes out. Ash ran forward until he looked to his left and saw Serena out at the edge of the docks, hands covering her face and crying loudly. A shocked expression appeared on his face and he sprinted over to her. The sound of her sobs became louder as he approached her. Her Pokemon, Fennekin, and one she caught a few weeks ago, Pancham, were trying to comfort her, with no success. The two of them saw Ash and Pikachu approach them and tried to warn Serena that the duo were right behind her. Serena, thinking they were just trying to calm her down like they had been for the last five minutes, ignored them and kept her face covered and continued crying. Seeing as she didn't know he was there, Ash tried to catch her attention.

"Serena?"

Serena swiftly uncovered her face as soon as she heard Ash's voice. Her whole face was coated with tears. Since she now knew Ash was there, she quickly wiped off the tears and looked behind her to see Ash and Pikachu standing a couple feet from her. Immediately, she turned her head forward again.

"I was hoping you wouldn't see me like this." Serena groaned, a few more tears escaping her eyes, which she wiped away instantly. "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough to know something is not right. What's wrong?" Ash asked.

Serena sniffled. "My performance today. I can't believe I made a huge mistake like that. I should have cut the ribbon more." She answered, wiping a couple more tears away. "I'm so stupid."

"Hey, you're not stupid. It was just a mistake. You've got plenty more opportunities ahead of you." Ash stated.

"Yeah, but what if I make the same mistake I did today in those other showcases? Everything I would have done would have been a waste." Serena said. Ash walked in front of Serena, and kneeled down in front of her so he was now eye level. Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder next to Fennekin and Pancham and looked at Serena.

"Serena, don't be so hard on yourself. Just because you make a mistake once does not mean history is going to repeat itself and you keep failing continuously. I even still voted for you, as did Shadow and Brock, despite what happened." Ash stated.

"But what if I do lose multiple times? Would have been becoming a performer been a bad choice for me?" Serena asked, still looking at the boardwalk.

"Of course not. I know you will be a promising performer. Shadow knows it, Brock knows it, Pikachu knows it, your Pokemon know it, I know it." Ash explained. Serena's tears stopped falling, but she was still crying on the inside.

"I just don't know what I can do now." Serena said.

"Serena, let this loss be a learning experience. From what I've learned from gym battles, is that you learn a lot more from losing than you do from winning. When you lose, you now know what not to do and whatever you did right you can try to improve." Ash explained. Serena was still looking down at the boardwalk, but she had heard what Ash said.

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Ash then took his right hand and lifted up her head with his finger so that she was now looking at him.

"You don't have to feel bad about one mistake. Everyone makes them. No matter what, you still have our support. We believe that you will become a master performer one day." Ash stated. And for the first time since he started talking to her, a smile appeared on her face. Seeing as she was feeling a little better, Ash smiled as well.

"Serena, remember, don't give up until it's over."

There it was, that line that Ash was so well known to say whenever someone felt like they lost all hope. Those were the words that empowered her. She looked back at him and kept smiling.

"Thanks Ash." She sniffled. "I feel better now."

"Good." He leaned forward and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Whenever you feel down about something, just tell me. I'm your boyfriend. I'm one of the people you can tell your problems to and will help you solve them." Ash explained.

"I know. Thank you." She replied and leaned forward and hugged him, which he returned. After a few seconds, Ash released from the hug and stood up and held out his hand to help her up. She grabbed his hand and he hoisted her up. He kept his grip on her hand after he had lifted her up.

"Now let's go back to the others. They're probably wondering where we are." Ash said and the two, along with their Pokemon, started walking back to the Pokemon Center.

 **End of Flashback**

"I know it wasn't easy for you to experience that, but I'm glad you got over it quickly. I hated seeing you like that." Ash commented.

"It was your words of encouragement that helped me get over it. I got my first princess key in my next showcase." Serena stated.

"I'm proud of you for that. Bouncing back after what happened. In that second performance, you looked more confident, determined, and stronger than after your first one." Ash complimented. As usual, Serena blushed at Ash's words that meant so much to her. She got up off of Ash and leaned on the tree next to him and looked him in the eyes, blush still present. Ash noticed her blush, but he now knew what that meant. He didn't ask her if she had a fever, he knew that it meant that she was blushing because of something he said or did, and he liked to empower her. He looked at her in the eyes, and smiled.

"You know what I think about our relationship?" Serena asked.

"What do you think about it?" Ash questioned.

"To me, I just think that since the day we first met, we have both made each other better people, stronger people. When I met you, you have gone out of your way to help me and make me feel me comfortable with my surroundings again. We have both made a huge impact on each other since we met. You always kept me company, even when you didn't need to. I have always encouraged you to push harder at what you do. You were the only one who ever took time out of their day to make me happy. When we spent Saturdays together, there was never a moment where we weren't happy, and didn't let anything hinder us. I guess what I'm trying to say is, when I first met you, my life changed, and for the better. And I want to thank you and I'm glad to call you my boyfriend."

Ash kept looking at her and blushed a faint pink. His smile remained and he kept looking at her. He leaned forward and gave her a quick kiss on the lips.

"And I'm glad to call you my girlfriend." He said, which caused her to blush as well. "You seemed to have put a lot of thought into that, and I appreciate it."

"Thanks Ash!" She replied.

"There is one thing I would like to know." Ash asked.

"What is it?"

"That ribbon that I gave you that you're wearing, why did you decide to use it that way?"

Serena looked at the blue ribbon he gave to her at the fair a couple months back. She put her hand over it and looked at him.

"This ribbon was a gift you gave me. I didn't want to let it go to waste. Since you gave it to me and I had a crush on you, I wanted to wear it so that whenever you saw me and you saw me wearing it, that it would show you that you mean the world to me and that besides that you thought of me, that I also thought of you." Serena explained.

"You actually did that because of me?" Ash asked. Serena nodded. "Well, then it looks like I made the right choice of giving it to you."

"But why did you give it to me though?" She asked.

"Because I wouldn't have thought of any use for it. I thought many possible things that I could consider using it for, but none of them seemed fitting. Since you were my best friend and you were the one hanging out with me that night, I thought you deserved it more than me. I had a feeling you could use it for any reason better than I could have thought of, and I'm glad you like it. I'm sorry if it felt like a little thing at the time." Ash explained.

"It doesn't matter to me that it's small. You've got to enjoy the little things in life." She stated.

Ash grabbed her hand and locked his fingers with hers. He looked her in the eyes and said the one thing he never thought he would say.

"I love you, Serena."

Serena's heart then just skipped a beat and did a backflip in her chest. He said it. He actually said it. She blushed a dark crimson, and he blushed as well. She looked back at him and kissed him on the lips.

"I love you too."

She then laid back down on his lap and locked her fingers with his again. She was really happy and so was he, and nothing could ruin this moment. They just sat there, looking out into the bright afternoon sky. Brock, who had been cooking lunch and Shadow, who had just finished his training for the day and took a seat on the bench next to Brock, looked over at the two. Seeing as happy as they were together, they let a smile creep across their lips.

"They are perfect together, aren't they?" Shadow asked.

"They sure are." Brock answered.

"Think their relationship will last?" Shadow asked.

"Last? I think those two will end up married someday, start a family, and spend the rest of their lives happy." Brock responded.

"I hope that's May and I someday." Shadow commented.

"Same for Lucy and I." Brock added.

Brock then took the ladle out of the pot and took a gulp of it to make sure it was ready. It appeared to be hot and fully cooked.

"Go tell Ash and Serena that lunch is ready. I'll get the table set up." Brock instructed to Shadow.

"Okay." Shadow replied and got up and walked over to the two while Brock set up. He walked up to the side of them to alert them.

"Hey…" Shadow said, snapping both Ash and Serena out of their gaze, who then looked up to see him there.

"Come on lovebirds, lunch is ready."

"Oh, okay. We'll be right there." Ash responded and Shadow started making his way back to the table.

"Let's go. We should probably get over there before it gets cold." Ash said.

"Good call." Serena added.

The two got up and straightened themselves out, and before they started walking, they made sure that they were holding hands. When they did, they started walking over.

They had both told each other how they felt about their relationship, what they've done together since they first met, and what moments made them be where they are today. When Ash first asked Serena if she would like to come on this journey with him, they both were excited for it, but neither of them thought that they would be travelling together as boyfriend and girlfriend, but they were and they were both happy as could be, and nothing was going to tear them apart. They may have known each other for five months and were now together, but this was only the beginning.

 **Author's note:** And, there you have it. The final chapter, and this story comes to a close. I feel really unhappy that it's already over. It feels like I just started this story a few weeks ago, but in reality it's been a few months. It's hard to believe that it's over. I was able to update it every Friday for fifteen weeks, which I can't believe I was able to do, I even shocked myself. But the reason I got this story updated every week was because of you guys. It wasn't easy to do so, but you guys made it happen. Your guys' support and reviews were what gave me the fuel to work and release every chapter every Friday like I promised. You guys deserve more respect than I do. You guys made this my best received story to date, ending with 40 plus follows, 30 plus favorites, and 130 plus reviews. None of my other stories (excluding my one-shots) even have half the reception this story does, but of course, those stories are nowhere near halfway done, so I may be getting ahead of myself, but I feel as this was my best story out of all five of my stories, but again, I may be getting ahead of myself. There were some chapters I was proud to make, while there were a few that I felt otherwise. I felt as there were some chapters I could have made better, but you guys never gave any of them a negative review. I know not everyone is going to like my story, but I guess that's how every author feels when they release a piece of work, that there is one thing wrong with it and thinks everyone is going to hate it, but that never happened. Overall, I think I did a pretty good job with this story, not superb, just pretty good. Believe it or not, I want to be a writer as a career, so this is pretty much learning experience on the road to that. Once again, I thank you all, even the guests, for giving this story a try and leaving me their thoughts. This is the first multi-chapter story I have ever finished. But there are a few things I want to tell you guys before I end this. And the first thing I want to do, is give out a thank you to all of those who have been my most loyal readers to date. Whoever gave this story a favorite, a follow, a review, or all three and have been with me since the start and have read and reviewed almost or every chapter, deserve the most thanks. And here is who I want to thank.

*=Gave this story a favorite

**=Followed this story

***=Gave this story a favorite AND a follow

****=Reviewed every or most chapters

*****=Gave this story a favorite AND a follow AND reviewed constantly

 *******Espeon44:** Thanks for being here since day one, and thank you for letting me into your community. How could I not thank the first person who gave this story a favorite, a follow, and a review? I appreciate the fact that you left a review after every chapter, even if it was just mostly questions. I'm glad I am a part of your community. It was an honor using your OCs for this story, I was more than happy to use them for this.

 ******That one random guest:** It's great that I had a guest that was as loyal as you. You left me a review every chapter and most of the time it was mostly the same thing, but it doesn't matter to me. As long as you left me your thoughts, that's okay, I'm not going to beg or ask for anything, I'm not that kind of person. Thanks for being here since the beginning. And regarding your last review, I haven't come up with a title or plot for the crossover story yet, but I will make it my goal to come up with those two by the time the next story comes around. You can shoot me suggestions if you want to help me get a general idea and I will come up with everything else. Don't worry, I'm definitely going to make it, just give me some time to come up with ideas for it and it will get the green light.

 ******Pokemonmeat:** Thanks for reading this story. I appreciate you giving me pointers and your thoughts on it. I'm sorry if I ever left you confused after a chapter. You came in at the halfway point and stayed for the rest of the way, and I thank you for doing so. I hope I will see you in any of my future stories.

 *******Mad Ass Dragon:** Thanks for at least getting into this story at a certain point. I'm glad that you took your time to take a look at this. I'm not sure if you can see this because I unfortunately killed you after the last chapter for putting you back into a diabetic coma, so I hope you're reading this from a better place. I sure hope no one here is getting the wrong idea. But thanks for liking this story and I hope I will see you in my future stories. You became one of my most loyal readers as of late, and I thank you, and I will see you soon. I'm sorry I didn't use your OC from your PM in this story, but I will put him in a future story I have planned (don't worry, I will let you and everyone else know what that is in a moment) so I hope that will be okay. Thanks for everything!

 *******Blizzard21:** Thanks for taking your time with my story. One thing I appreciated from you the most was that you gave me some insight to this story in your reviews. I know your last review was just one word and I'm glad you liked the last chapter. Thanks for the reviewing and giving this story a chance.

 *******Nexxus176:** Thanks for reading my story, even if it was at a late point. One thing I would absolutely thank you for is recommending this story at the end of one of your chapters of one of your stories. An author by the name Brig nodrm2347 told me that you did that and I was very surprised, thanks for spreading the word out. I should probably do the same for you in return, only if you're okay with that. When you gave this story a favorite and a follow I was happy to see that because I have heard of you prior to posting this story, so it's nice to know that an author I've heard of liked my story. Thank you so much for everything. I hope I will see you in any of my future stories.

 ******Brig nodrm2347:** Thank you for at least getting into this story at some point, even if it was after the last chapter. Thank you for also leaving a review after every couple chapters and telling me what you think. It brings a smile to my face when someone does that. I'm happy to know you liked my story so much, and once again I'm glad you started reading this story, regardless if it was this late. As long as someone reads my story, I could care less what point they get into it. So thanks a lot and I hope I will see you in my next story.

 ****BabyPeach1Fan**

 ****BarsTheCat**

 *****Batprime**

 ***Bangderp**

 *****BestShippz**

 ****Bluestorm1990**

 ****Cami-cake**

 *****DakotaDragons261**

 ****DarkSoldier41**

 *****Dazzling-Moonblast**

 ****Engel2092**

 *****GameKenetics**

 ****INSAGNIA**

 *****Jmtx100**

 ****Jomanthedope**

 *****JonnyAgy19**

 ****Kevin Ramirez**

 *****LaprasIzLife**

 ****Mr. Lazy**

 ****Navoli**

 *****PigeonDaGreat**

 *****PlutonicNightmare**

 ****Rain in November**

 ****RedFoxSpy**

 *****RougeClyde**

 ****SnowmobilingSeal**

 *****TFreudP**

 ****ThommoDoesn'tCare**

 ****Aboz567**

 *****Agent415**

 *****Boomingmaster**

 ****Crusade332**

 ****Greexx**

 ****Jvm5417**

 *****Kageofdoom**

 ****Krishnas097**

 *****Mmoralest80**

 *****Potat losaro**

 *****Skyjadeprincess**

 ***333444**

 ***Aipom4**

 ***GeorgeD117**

 ***Malorne-10**

 ***Poke-Absol Fan**

 ***Rokudosatoshi**

 ***Shadowknight77**

 ***Twitterbirdd**

 ***WriterMatthew**

 *** .9**

 *****ShadowSpirit020**

 ***pokemonloverr**

 **Thank you all for the support! The rest of you who I didn't mention, I thank as well. This story couldn't have been finished without you (Gee I bet that's a bit cliché).**

And there is another thing I would like to say. Now that this story is done, I am immediately going to get started on my next story. But just a little reminder for you guys, just so you know that I'm not abandoning you, I won't be posting ANYTHING for a while. I'm planning on taking the rest of March off and the whole month of April off, so you guys won't see anything from me until May, basically you won't see me releasing anything, not even one-shots, for a month and a half. There is a reason why I want to take a month and a half break. The reason why is because I want to start working on my next story right away and I want to get as many chapters done before I can before May rolls around, so that way I'm more prepared for the next story than I was for this one, and also I will have a chapter done way ahead of schedule before I post it. The question you're probably wondering is: What is my next story going to be? I'll answer that in a moment, but you will see the next story by the first Friday of May, which is May 6th, which is when I'll be back. So just be patient, give me some time and I'll greatly reward you.

There is one other thing I would like to tell you, and I think you guys will appreciate this one. Just because I will be taking a month and a half off DOESN'T mean that I'm not willing to take requests during that time. Between March 19th and May 5th you can send me a request for any story you want me to make and I will gladly make it for you. But for the meantime, since I only want to work on and update one multi-chapter story at a time, I will only be taking requests for one-shots. I feel as updating two or more multi-chapters simultaneously is too much for me, so just give me ideas for one-shots and I will get right to it. Just send me a PM and tell me what you would like to see. It doesn't have to be for a pairing, but it can be if you want to. It can be for Amourshipping, or it can be for another shipping. Here is a list of pairings I will be willing to make a one-shot or story for (besides Amourshipping):

Pokeshipping: I'm not really a big supporter of this pairing, but I do support it a little bit and it seems like a popular pairing within the Pokemon universe, so if you want me to make a one-shot about this pairing, then I'll do it.

Advanceshipping: This is probably my third favorite pairing in Pokemon. From what I've watched in the Advanced series, they seem good together, so I wouldn't mind making a one-shot or story based on this pairing.

Pearlshipping: This is probably my second favorite pairing. I like how Ash and Dawn always seemed so close, so I support this couple a good amount but nowhere near as much as Amourshipping, so making a one-shot or story about this pairing could be a good idea.

Negaishipping: I'm not too crazy about this pairing, and neither are most people because of how Iris treated Ash, but for those of you who do support this pairing, I will make a one-shot or story about it. Believe me, I would rather write about this pairing more than some others.

Abilityshipping: I know that Anabel was only in two episodes out of the whole anime, but I've seen quite a bit of people say they support this shipping. And plus, she is the only character other than Serena that has a canonical crush on Ash, but seeing as she was only in two episodes back in Advanced, I wouldn't see I would pick this over Amourshipping. Serena is the only main female protagonist that has ever had a crush on Ash, so that's why I would heavily pick Amourshipping over this pairing, but hell, I would be more than willing to make a one-shot based on Abilityshipping, it wouldn't bother me at all

Pokemon x Pokemon: I wouldn't mind writing a story or one-shot about a pairing involving two Pokemon. It can be for whatever pairing, just tell me and I'll get right to it.

Any other straight pairing that is out there: I will write a one-shot or story for any other straight pairing out there, as long as I've heard of it. Ask me if I've heard of the pairing, I will give you a confirmation if I have. But don't make it a request based on Geekchicshipping (Explanation below).

But also, there will be pairings and types of stories that I will absolutely, ABSOLUTELY, not ever make a one-shot or story for. Those include:

Geekchicshipping: I EXTREMELY hate this pairing. I love both Serena and Clemont as characters but I absolutely dread the idea of them as a couple. I just could never imagine them together, so don't ever ask me to make a one-shot or story based on this pairing. I just couldn't do it.

Lemon: I'm not comfortable yet making a lemon, and I'm not sure I ever will be. I especially don't want to write a lemon story or one-shot based on a Pokemon pairing. I mean, the characters are kids for crying out loud. So don't ask me to write a story or one-shot lemon, not even for Amourshipping. I can't even imagine writing a lemon about those two, I would probably be grossed out. I could have it implied that they "did the nasty" but not actually show it. Like I could end a chapter with them making out heavily on a bed and start the next chapter with them lying in bed together, naked but with the covers over them, but I will never describe a scene of them actually "doing it" so I don't even want to do that, but in order for me to make a scene like that, I would have to make them older of course since they are currently kids like I stated before. Just don't ask for a lemon from me, it'd be too uncomfortable for me to write.

Yaoi or Yuri: No way in hell will I write a yaoi or yuri story. But like I've said in earlier chapters, I'm not a homophobe. I was willing to put it in this story but this story only. But I don't mind adding a yaoi or yuri pairing into the story as long as they're not the main couple and they don't go any farther than a kiss on the lips that doesn't last longer than a few seconds. Just don't ask me to make a yaoi or yuri story. I couldn't even do it.

No combination of the last two: Don't EVER come to me asking me to make a yaoi or yuri lemon. I couldn't even get past one paragraph, let alone one sentence if I were to do so. I'd rather stick myself to a lemon juice covered cactus than write one of these. So I'm just warning you now, don't ever ask me to make such a thing.

Human x Pokemon: Okay, who in their right mind would think this is a good idea? Who in the hell would write one of these? I know sure as hell I never will. This idea could be regarded as beastiality. If you asked me to write one of these, here is my response: Not a chance in hell!

Serena x Anyone besides Ash: I just don't support any pairing other than Amourshipping that involves Serena. If it's couples like Romanticshipping (Her with Drew) Geekchicshipping (You already know what I've said about this one), I won't write anything about it. Since I think Serena belongs with Ash and only Ash, you won't ever see me writing a story or one-shot of her with another guy (or girl… EW! Like I've said before, the characters are kids), so I won't be willing to take requests of any of that nature. So if you want a story with Serena in a pairing, only make it Amourshipping. That's it!

Crack: They're crazy ideas and I don't think I could do one that good. 'Nuff said!

Where a character is yandere: *SHUDDERS* Okay, this is another type of story I will say "Not a chance in hell" to. And, again, the characters are kids. I've read one story where a character is yandere (Yes it was an Amourshipping story and you can probably guess which character was yandere) and I personally felt freaked out by it, the subject of yandere is just too creepy to me, so please don't ask me to make a story or one-shot about this genre.

So these pairings are pairings that will give you a general idea of what I would like to and would not like to write for. For the pairings I will write for in the top half, you can ask me to make a one-shot for any of those, but any in the bottom half, don't, just don't request anything involving those.

And one last thing I want to tell you guys, and you guys will definitely appreciate this one.

Within a couple days after releasing chapter 14, a few people asked me if I was going to be making a sequel to this story, and here is my answer.

When I was typing this story, I originally never planned on making a sequel to it. It never came to mind. But seeing as there are some people who are asking for a sequel, it actually may not be a bad idea. So if you guys want a sequel, then damn it, you're getting one.

But there is one other thing I would like to point out. Within the last few weeks I have been working on a new story that I was planning to release after this one, but seeing as some of you want a sequel to this story, I'm stuck on what one to release next. But like at the end of some chapters, I've said I'll leave that for you guys to decide, and that is what I'll do. I will be putting up a poll after I release this chapter so that if you guys want to choose what story you want to see me release next, go onto my profile and send in your votes. It will be up until Monday May 2nd since I will be releasing whatever story you guys voted for that Friday the 6th. So go over there and send in your choice. Either way, both stories will be released in the future but I want to see which one you guys want next. If you guys want to know what these two stories are about, here we go.

 **Love You Now, Love You Always (In or Out sequel):** Fresh off their most recent journey during the summer, Ash and Serena now start their Senior year of high school, as a couple. New moments and challenges await them and their friends. What does this year have in store for them?

 **Against All Odds:** Ash and Serena are both 26 years old but living very different lives. Serena has been single all her life but Ash has been married but is now divorced and has two kids. Serena hasn't seen Ash since they were 10 when he left Kalos and has long since awaited reuniting with him. One day when a surprise encounter with one another leads to Serena learning of Ash's life of the last 16 years but more importantly the last five, she strives to get to know him again and be the next person that's destined to be by his side forever.

So there you guys go. Whatever one sounds better to you, go to my profile and take your pick. The decision of my next story lies in your hands. Are you willing to do it? I don't know but it's a heck of a decision, so what are you waiting for?

Well, I think that should be it. Thank you for all making In or Out such a success. I loved making this story and I loved to entertain you guys. I'm glad that I decided to write for the Pokemon archive, not because you guys gave this story such good reception, but because you guys made me feel welcome here. I feel like this should be the archive I write for the most because of that reason. I hope I see you guys in any of my future stories for Pokemon that I write, that would brighten my mood if it happens and remember, don't forget to vote for my next story that you guys want to see and also to shoot me a request for a one-shot if you want to. And also, if you want to ask me some questions or if you just want to talk, send me a PM and I will happily be able to respond to them. Go ahead and ask me, I won't bite. So with that, I'll see you guys in a month and a half with my next story. So, I will close this out for the final time. This is TDBigJ, signing off. I will see you all May 6th, until then…

 **TDBigJ out!**


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